I boschi sacri nella legislazione e nella giurisprudenza romana

Sacred forests are natural places dedicated to worship of the gods; such places were widespread in antiquity, not only in Roman times. This type of sacred places poses various problems, connected to the historical reconstruction of their legal regulation. In fact, one may wonder whether such places had, besides a strictly religious function, also an economic significance and the effect, albeit indirectly, of protecting the landscape and forest heritage, as some historians suggest. This paper examines the legal regime and functions of the sacred forest in Roman times, concluding that their function is limited to the sacred sphere.