What impression would Elaionas, a vast expanse of olive trees in the western part of Athens, give to a visitor? Its full size is hard to quantify, extending from Parnitha in the north to Hymettus in the east. British traveller Bernard Randolph, who visited in 1671, estimated about 50,000 olive trees in an area nearly ten kilometres long and three kilometres wide. Nowadays, Elaionas is barely recognizable, with scant remnants at Thevon and Petrou Ralli streets intersection. Since Greece’s liberation from Ottoman rule, the area has appeared desolate, and remained so with Athens’ industrialization and urbanisation.
Elaionas is said to have originated from the sacred, first domesticated olive tree on the Acropolis, planted by Athena in her contest with Poseidon for the city. This tree, located in Pandroseion, was revered by the Athenians, who adorned it with offerings, ribbons, and wreaths. Its oil fueled the Erechtheion’s eternal lamp, and its branches crowned the City Dionysia festival’s victors. According to Herodotus, when the Acropolis and this tree were burned by the Persians in 480 BC, the Athenians were thrilled to find a new shoot emerged, as tall as a cubit, the next day.
From this sacred olive originated the twelve olive trees situated at the core of Plato’s Academy area. Aristotle’s writings include notes on their cultivation and harvesting process. Solon implemented protective legislation for the olive trees and the flourishing olive oil trade in Athens. Peisistratos also encouraged the cultivation of olives, indicating that the forest’s roots likely date back to the 6th century BCE, largely unchanged until Roman times.
The Athenians held the olive tree sacred, a symbol of peace and victory. Laws protected it, including restrictions on olive wood use and fines for uprooting. State employees, the “epignomones”, maintained and harvested the olives. As an example of their dedication to preserving this esteemed tree, the Athenians barred goats from the Acropolis, due to their appetite for olive leaves and stems.
Sophocles’ “Oedipus at Colonus” captures the reverence and mystique surrounding Elaionas, a sentiment shared even by adversaries like the Persians. Under Xerxes, they avoided harming the forest, wary of incurring the wrath of Athena and Zeus. The first significant assault on Elaionas occurred under Roman General Sulla in 86 BC, with a subsequent attack in 267 AD by the Heruli. Despite these raids, the forest resiliently flourished well into the modern era.
