Chaste tree

Chaste tree: leaves, flowers, fruit. It flowers from Jun to Sep. The fruits ripen between late Sep and Nov. 

The ripe fruits were found in large quantities in the Philistine temple in Gath dated to 10th - 9th c. BC. You can read more about this in this article...

Chaste tree has been used to treat menstrual cycle problems and pain, premenstrual syndrome, and menopause. Chaste tree berries help stimulate progesterone, which is why they have also been used to prevent miscarriage associated with low progesterone levels...

Which is why, I believe, in the above articles we can read that the chaste tree fruits were part of the cargo of the Late Bronze Age Uluburun shipwreck (late 14th century BC), revealing that they were valued during that time.

We know, from the written records, that in Ancient Greece the chaste tree was used at the female agricultural festival of Thesmophoria, an ancient Greek festival in honour of Demeter and her daughter Persephone. If anyone knows how, please post it here.

The Thesmophoria was held annually in the autumn, specifically during the month of Pyanepsion in the Attic calendar. This corresponds to late Oc or early Nov. THIS IS IMPORTANT! 

Also the cult of Artemis Orthia (8th-6th c. BC) in Sparta was associated with this plant.

The above article then says "These historical data for the cultic role of the chaste tree are later than the Philistines’ Gath temples, so no direct connections can be made between them..."

"...[But] the symbolism of the cults allied with the chaste tree accords with numerous female figurines in Philistine contexts, which have been identified as connected with widespread cults of the Aegean or Mycenaean Great Mother Goddess..."

"...Connections between Aegean and Philistine cults have been noted before, but this new data from Gath determine the first such connection that relates to cultic plant use..."

"...All the cults mentioned above relate to freshwater / purity, fertility, and rejuvenation..."

I would suggest that this plant was held especially sacred by women because the harvest time of its fruit corresponds with the arrival of rains in Palestine...The rains, which are source of fresh water, which is used for purification, and which every winter rejuvenates Palestine and makes its land fertile...This plant literally links female and earth fertility...

This is also the time when Ibex goats start their mating, marked  by mad male ibex fights.

Which is why ibex goat became animal calendar marker for the beginning of the rain season...The Goat of Rain...

Which is why in Levant, rampant ibex goats were linked to the tree of life. Shaped like a menorah...A pottery vessel, a ewer, from the Fosse temple at Lachish dated to the 13th c. BC. I talked about this in my post "Lachish animal calendar"...

Here is another vessel from the Fosse temple at Lachish also dated to the 13th century BC. On this vessel we see two rampant goats facing not a tree, but a vulva...Vulva is the symbol of fertility number one...Obviously...Easy to understand why...

Except the vulva here is symbolic depiction of "fertile (moist) Mother Earth", "Mother of Grain"...I talked about the Mother of Grain in many of my posts...

Also I wonder if these groves are actually furrows...

You should especially check this post, "The oldest Demeter depiction", about the Early Bronze Age Mothers of Grain from Greece and Syria...

The grain is planted in both Greece and Syria in Oct/Nov. At the time when the first rains arrive to the area...And when chaste tree fruit is being harvested...So no wonder that this tree was used during festival dedicated to Demeter, the greek Mother of Grain...

That's it. To read more about ancient animal and plant calendar markers, start here…Then check my twitter threads I still didn't convert to blog post...I am way way behind...