Ancient Greece and Rome · Plant motifs
Laurel wreath and olive branch
Laurel for victory, olive for peace: from Delphi to Olympia.
What does it mean?
According to Pliny the Elder, laurel is especially consecrated to triumphs; it guards the doors of emperors, and victors at Delphi are crowned with Delphic laurel. Laurel is also a sign of peace: an extended laurel branch means a truce. It is the tree most dear to Apollo. Yet Pliny ranks the olive above the laurel as an emblem of peace: Athens crowns its victors with olive, and at Olympia the Greeks use wild olive. At Olympia stands the wild olive from which Hercules received the first wreath [1].
Related plants
- Bay laurel: The plant of the victor’s wreath.
- Olive leaf: The plant of peace and of the Olympic wreath.
Same theme
Sources
Drawing: Bitki Tabanı, interpreted from the traditional motif.