Olive Oil

History of the Olive Tree and its oil

The Olive Tree, a symbol of wisdom and peace, has been adopted by the human race as a source of wealth and food for millennia. The history of the Olive Tree dates back to the origin of agriculture in the first civilizations of the Mediterranean and the Near East.

Prehistory

The existence of the olive tree dates back to 12,000 years BC. Fossils of olive leaves have been found in Pliocene deposits at Mongardino, Italy, as well as in rock strata from the Upper Paleolithic period in North Africa and in Bronze Age excavations in Spain.

Egypt

The beginning of olive cultivation is located in the Middle and Near East, and the first documentary and archaeological references about the appearance and use of olive oil come from the time of Ancient Egypt, where it was revered and was only available to the privileged classes. .

In Egypt the olive tree is represented in the sarcophagi of some pharaohs. Olive oil was prepared with aromatic essences and was used as sacramental oil of the Pharaohs in the afterlife.

According to Egyptian mythology, it was Isis who taught men the cultivation of the olive tree. The largest olive plantations were near the Nile delta, very close to the city of Alexandria. For example, the olive tree is spoken of in the Fayoum and the Thebaid.

The variety of olive trees used in Egypt did not have a great oil yield, perhaps because the climate was not appropriate for their growth and development; Therefore, the use of olive oil as food was scarce, and it was mainly used for medicinal and cosmetic applications.

Papyrus Harris I mentions various sources of olive oil, and an important trade in it with the Greek tribes. The use of oil in funeral lamps became common, and Ramesses III dedicated plantations to its production.

The word oil does not appear in the texts until around the 9th dynasty of Egypt.

In the Egyptian slave populations of the Jewish religion, olive oil had a special symbolism. It was added to drinks such as khilmi and alontit, and even to anigron wine.

Along with other essences and aromatic herbs, it was used in the manufacture of intoxicating perfumes, in the bath to beautify and cleanse the pores, in ointments with saffron and herbs to hydrate the skin and prevent the appearance of wrinkles, to brighten the hair and to therapeutic massages.

It had deep spiritual connotations, and was used in lamps lit in honor of the gods.

Greece

Greek mythology is rich in legends and mentions of the Olive Tree. Gods such as Athena, Hercules, or the Olympic Games have the Olive Tree, its branches, leaves and fruit as a characteristic element. The first documented references to the Olive Tree are Greek: It symbolized peace and prosperity, as well as resurrection and hope.

In the first Olympic games held in 776 BC, the winners of sporting events were already offered an olive branch in recognition of their triumph, and the first Olympic torch was a flaming olive branch. Before exercising, the gymnasts gave themselves massages to tune up their muscles, avoid injuries and protect the skin against temperature differences.

In the Panathenaic festivals, similar in importance to the Olympic games, the winners were offered amphorae of olive oil. The amount of oil offered as a prize to the winning athlete could be large, even several tons.

The appearance of olive oil in Greece occurs on the island of Crete, its cultivation leads to the establishment of the first trade routes along the Mediterranean Sea with Egypt and other peoples.

The lower social classes did not consume olive oil in cooking, being reserved for the most favored classes. The use as fuel for lighting, as a medicinal remedy, and as a body oil, was very common.

Dioscorides mentions omphacine, oil extracted from unripe olives, indicating that it is useful for muscular stress, skin and hair care. Hippocrates also mentions its medicinal properties.

In the 5th century BC. C. the Persian king Xerxes burned the city of Athens, within which was the centuries-old olive tree of Athena, which was burned. When the Athenians entered the devastated city, the olive tree had already grown one cubit, a harbinger of the Athenians’ rapid recovery and renewal in the face of adversity.

The olive tree appears on some Mycenaean clay tablets, which testify to the importance of the olive tree in the Cretan economy (2500 BC).

The Greeks’ adoration of olive oil is shown in the frescoes on the walls of the palace of Knossos, in which numerous representations of olive trees appear.

Olive trees can frequently be seen in the decorations of the vessels, in the jewelry and other utensils of daily life of the time.

The anointings already appear frequently

cia in Homer and were given by women and servants. Ulysses says to Nausicaa (Od. VI 96) “I will know how, without your help, to wash myself with foam and anoint myself with this oil that after so long my skin does not know.”

Each person brought their bottle of oil (lecythus) to the baths.

The oil served as a base to make perfumes (Myron), although its aroma was considered a perfume in itself. Archeology (Mycenaean tablets), the mural paintings of Pompeii and the texts of Dioscorides, Theophrastus and Pliny, mention this use.

It was considered the best excipient to make a perfume, especially the bitter green olives that yield little oil, because it is receptive, keeps well and resists heat.

The ancient Greeks washed themselves with water and a sponge, without soap (only from the 1st century BC onwards was a kind of soapy emulsion obtained from oil), and when they left the bath they anointed themselves with oil.

Phoenicians

In Spain, the cultivation of the olive tree was introduced by the Phoenicians (1100 BC).

Rome

From the year 206 BC. C, after the Roman occupation in Hispania, olive production began to gain importance.

The commercial and warrior contact of the Greeks with the Etruscans caused the cultivation of the olive tree to be introduced in Italy during the reign of Lucius Tarquinius Priscus, in the period 616 BC. C. to 578 BC. C., although it may have arrived in Italy three hundred years before the fall of Troy.

In the 2nd and 3rd centuries the olive tree expanded throughout the Mediterranean, thanks to the territorial and military advances of the Roman Empire. Olive wreaths were used as an offering to victorious Roman generals, just as the Greeks did.

The use of olive oil was widespread among the inhabitants of the city of Rome, and the production of olive oil generated an agrarian landscape in the Roman colonies.

Pliny the Elder compiles recipes for ointments and ointments with olive oil.

Cato the Elder describes in his book On Agriculture numerous methods of growing, pruning and caring for the olive tree, which they learned from the Greeks.

The appearance of the first moisturizing cream is due to the Turkish doctor Claudius Galen (129-199 AD) who discovered that by mixing olive oil with water and beeswax a refreshing cream was obtained that gave great elasticity to the skin.

Middle Ages

After the Decline of the Roman Empire, it is the religious orders that begin to take the reins of production in Medieval Europe. Consumption among clerics who lived in monasteries and people from the upper class always remained.

It was used in cooking, lighting homes, making soaps and textiles, applications for which it was very useful and difficult to replace.

Bible

In the Bible, there are about four hundred mentions of the olive tree or its oil. It was the basis of the anointing ointment and the light that illuminated the darkness of temples and homes. In the Book of Genesis, a dove gave an olive branch to Noah, signaling the end of the flood and floods. Noah recognized this gesture as a sign of the peace to come. In the Book of Exodus, God tells Moses how to prepare olive oil and spices to anoint his people; It also mentions the prayer of Jesus Christ on the Mount of Olives.

In Al-ándalus the production of olive oil was very intense and there were areas, such as Aljarafe near Seville, that were populated with olive trees. The Muslim writer of the time Al-Idrisi mentions that the wealth of the inhabitants of Seville was largely due to the export of olive oil.