From the Telegraph … I may have things to add later when I have
time to look into this more detail: In Roman mythology, the
bough was a tree branch with golden leaves that enabled the
Trojan hero Aeneas to travel through the underworld safely. They
discovered the remains while excavating religious sanctuary
built in honour of the goddess Diana near an ancient volcanic
lake in the Alban Hills, 20 miles south of Rome. They believe
the enclosure protected a huge Cypress or oak tree which was
sacred to the Latins, a powerful tribe which ruled the region
before the rise of the Roman Empire. The tree was central to the
myth of Aeneas, who was told by a spirit to pluck a branch
bearing golden leaves to protect himself when he ventured into
Hades to seek counsel from his dead father. In a second, more
historically credible legend, the Latins believed it symbolised
the power of their priest-king. Anyone who broke off a branch,
even a fugitive slave, could then challenge the king in a fight
to the death. If the king wa