The history of the olive

The Timeless Legacy of the Olive Tree in Greece

The story of the olive tree begins over 7,000 years ago, rooted in the ancient soils of the Eastern Mediterranean. From the hands of Phoenician merchants, this sacred tree journeyed westward, finding fertile ground and reverence in the lands of southern Europe. Greece, the cultural and botanical gateway of the Mediterranean, was the first European civilization to embrace and cultivate the olive tree with intent and devotion.

In ancient Athens, the olive tree was more than a crop—it was a cornerstone of identity, economy, and ritual. As the Athenian democratic state flourished, it emerged as one of the preeminent centers of olive oil production across the Mediterranean basin. The olive and its golden elixir held a central place in the civic, spiritual, and domestic life of the Greeks. Between the 7th and 3rd centuries BCE, eminent philosophers, physicians, and botanists studied olive oil for its medicinal virtues as much as for its culinary excellence, cataloguing its therapeutic and botanical properties with intellectual rigor.

The olive tree's significance extended beyond nourishment. It was a symbol of peace, wisdom, and continuity—an eternal witness to the rhythm of Greek life. In mythology, the olive tree was born of a divine contest. When Poseidon and Athena vied for patronage of a great city, Poseidon conjured a spring of salt water. Athena, in contrast, offered a gift of profound utility: the olive tree, source of oil, food, wood, and light. The Athenians chose Athena’s gift, and in her honor, the city was named Athina—Athens—forever entwined with the destiny of the olive.

Even the mighty Hercules shared a bond with the olive. His formidable club was hewn from the wild agrielia olive, and upon completing his twelve labors, he planted an olive tree in Olympia. From its branches, the kotinos—wreaths that crowned Olympic victors—were crafted, embodying triumph and divine favor.

This reverence endured through the centuries. During the Byzantine era, olive oil production not only persisted but expanded—transforming the empire into the world’s largest exporter of this liquid gold. In the Orthodox Christian tradition, olive oil acquired sacred stature, anointing the faithful and illuminating places of worship.

And behind it all—myth and medicine, economy and empire—stood Gaea, the primal Mother Earth of Greek mythology. She, the divine personification of the fertile land itself, gave rise to all life, and through the olive tree, offered a timeless link between humanity, nature, and the divine.