A
nemeton was a
sacred space of ancient
Celtic religion.
Nemeta appear to have been primarily situated in natural areas, and, as they often utilized
trees, they are often interpreted as
sacred groves. However, other evidence suggests that the word implied a wider variety of ritual spaces, such as
shrines and
temples. Evidence for nemeta consists chiefly of inscriptions and
place-names, which occur all across the
Celtic world. Toponyms related to the word
nemeton occur as far west as
Galicia,
Spain, as far north as
Scotland, and as far east as central
Turkey. The word is related to the name of the
Nemetes tribe living by the Rhine between the
Palatinate and
Lake Constance in what is now
Germany, and their goddess
Nemetona.
