Most of us
believe that the olive tree originated in Greece
from where it spread over the entire Mediterranean. It thus may come
as a surprise to learn that the oldest ones were found in ancient Israel around
5,000 BC. The olive oil was exported to Greece
and Egypt until Crete and Cyprus started to produce their own, and eventually the production reached mainland Greece. The Greek and Phoenician
colonists, in turn, introduced the olive tree to Italy,
Iberia, and North Africa. In the wake of Alexander’s conquests and
the subsequent Roman occupations, the olive tree became familiar in those
lands, boosting warm summers and little rainfall.
Olive trees
obviously were most famous for their oil. The Greeks believed that the earlier
they pressed the olives, the finer the quality of the oil was as they were
still green. However, if they let them ripen longer till they were black, they
would produce more oil. Then and now, the best quality oil came from the first
pressing.
Generally, the
olives were crushed underfoot – a process that survived till far into the 20th
century. Several examples of these “presses” have survived, such as those found
at Mesembria
in Eastern Greece. A large slab or a terracotta
lid on an earthen pot was perforated with holes, and the crusher would press
the fruit by trampling the olives with his feet. The pulp was collected in a
basin or jar underneath the lid and was then filtered.
The earliest
presses consisted of a large round millstone, usually pulled by a donkey. Those
stones would roll over the olives poured into a circular container. The resulting
pulp was then filtered through stacked baskets and pressed with a heavy rock
placed on top. A good example has been found in Olynthus. Although the process may
sound rather primitive, the end result was pretty satisfactory.
It is not rare
to find olive trees amongst fruit trees, and the field owners would let some
sheep graze the groves to keep them free of grass and weeds. Moreover, the
residue of the oil pressing process could be used as feed for the pigs.
The demand for
olive oil grew with the Roman Empire's expansion, and eventually, Constantinople became one of the
leading importers. Also, vineyards and olive farms arose in Syria and Cilicia,
and they reached the peak of their capacity in the 3rd-5th
century AD. In any case, the principal producers were located in the regions of Attica in Greece, Italy,
Baetica in Spain, Cyrenaica
in Libya, Venafrum in Italy, and the island of Samos.
To meet the high demand for oil, the Romans developed screw presses which were
more performing to crush the olives. In those days, it is believed that oil
production reached such a high level that we had to wait till the 19th century
to see it improved.
Olive oil was
and remains an essential ingredient in Mediterranean cuisine. However, many
other implementations were known, such as fuel for the lamps or a component to
make perfumes. Another application was to cleanse the body of the Greek and
Roman athletes from dirt and sweat using a strigil.
The most popular
way to store and transport the oil was the common amphora, which came in
all shapes and forms depending on their country of origin, the manufacturer and
the merchant.
Beyond the
success story of the olive oil, the tree acquired a sacred significance when
the olive branch became a sign of peace and a crown for the winners at the
ancient Olympic Games.
The olive branch was very favorite in Classical Athens, where the tree
was considered a gift from Athena. The sacred tree stood on the Acropolis close
to the Erechtheion and has been replaced with a new version in modern times.
Pilgrims also carried olive branches on their way to the oracle at the Temple of Apollo
in Delphi.
This all means
that the importance of the olive tree reached far beyond oil extraction and
usage.
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