History of the olive tree
A symbol of peace, wisdom, fertility, prosperity, happiness, victory. No temple tree in our country is praised, painted, sung, as much as olives. This tree, which loves the sea and the Mediterranean sun, grows even on arid and rocky soils and survives in conditions of drought and strong winds. It followed the inhabitants of this country in times of both prosperity and poverty and left its mark in every aspect of the cultural tradition of the Mediterranean people. In the Greek tradition, when a child is born, an olive tree is planted. The olive and the child will grow up together and when the child reaches the age of 6, the olive will give its first fruit. It grows with the family, will survive for decades and will still be there for all generations to remind us of the continuity and evolution of life. The life expectancy of olives is 300 to 600 years, and yet there are olive trees older than 1000 years.
The history of olives began about 7.000 years ago in the Mediterranean region, more precisely in the eastern Mediterranean. It is speculated that it first appeared in Syria, as indicated by various depictions on vessels and a multitude of myths of people around the Mediterranean. However, Greece brought it through Phoenician traders to the European Mediterranean area - Italy, France, Spain and Portugal - from where it spread to America and Australia.
Wild olives in Greece have been collected since the Neolithic, but the place where domestic olive cultivation began was most likely Crete. Archaeological data and historical finds confirm that during the Minoan period (3000-1000 BC) olive growing and the olive oil trade were widespread in Crete, which also partly represents the economic boom that occurred on the island during this period. Ceramics (jars) and stone cisterns for storing olive oil were found in the palace of Knossos, while in Phaistos one can find the findings of an oil mill of that time. The ancient Greeks brought olive growing to their colonies: Sicily, southern France, the west coast of Spain and the Black Sea coast. . They loved and worshiped the olive and attributed its origin to a religious and sacrilegious character, condemning to death anyone who destroyed the olive tree. Messengers would come to make peace by wearing an olive branch, while the only prize for the winners of the Olympics was a wreath from an olive branch. Many Greek philosophers have studied the healing properties of this sacred tree. Dioscorides, Diocletian, Anaxagoras, Empedocles, Hippocrates; with Hippocrates it contains more than 60 treatments of olives.Understanding the value of olive oil, the Romans contributed to the spread of olives throughout the territory of their empire. Trade grew even more, and Roman ships carried large quantities of oil in areas where olives were not grown or in areas where the shortage of olive oil was reduced. It was a period in which new olive extraction techniques were developed and great progress was made in spreading knowledge about olives.
In Byzantine times, traditional olive growing centers were maintained, while the olive groves of Christian monasteries made up a large part of the total production. The distribution of olive oil followed ancient schemes: it was stored in special jars, loaded into containers, and led to larger urban centers or wherever demand increased. The need for light (lighting of temples, palaces, and houses), along with other uses, created an increasing demand, meaning that the Empire was constantly short of olive oil. It is not surprising, therefore, that the authorities often banned exports, even though the Byzantine Empire was the largest exporter of olive oil in the world. . During the Ottoman occupation, the oil trade not only strengthened local economies, but also stimulated soap production, which in turn created dynamic production units. In oil-producing regions, such as Crete, consulates of European countries gradually settled. In the 18th century, oil exports to European markets supplied not only edible products but also raw materials for soap production. This marks the founding of ABEA by the French chemist July Deis in the late nineteenth century in Nea Hora, with the aim of exporting the pomace to Marseille, the most powerful industrial soap of the time.
