History of olive oil

It is believed that the cultivation of the olive oil tree began in the Eastern Mediterranean some 6000 years ago before recorded history.

The pressing of the olive to extract it precious commodity is generally believed to date back to about 3000 BC. As early as 3000 BC Semitic peoples in Syria cultivated the olive and traded in its oil.

The Minoans traded olive oil from Crete in about 2000 BC, with subsequent Greek and Phoenician seafarers continuing the trade carrying it as far west as Spain and today’s Morocco. The Minoans were probably responsible for the spread of olive culture to the early Greeks and Romans.

At first, the Greek used the expensive olive oil in cosmetics and for body anointment. Greek also used the oil as an important part of diet as well as for its external use.

From 750 BC the Greeks planted olive trees in their colonies in eastern Spain, southern France, Italy and Sicily; where the Greeks did not plant them, the Carthaginians and the Romans did.

According to Pliny, the olive oil was introduced to the Romans by the Greeks during the reign of Tarquinius Priscus.

Olive trees were planted throughout the entire Mediterranean basin during Roman rule. The Romans employed it widely in food and cookery, and the wealthy used it as an indispensible adjunct to grooming.

In the 5th century BC, Herodotus described Athens as a vast center of Greek olive culture, olive oil was a profitable export of that time as was the technology associated with olive culture and curing.

Egyptians drawing of about 1000 BC depict olive trees and the olive was placed alongside garlic and wine in tombs to provide sustenance in the hereafter. Their dead were adorned with olive branches and preserved in part with olive oil.
History of olive oil