The olive tree grew wild in the Middle East and its fruits have been used since prehistoric times. Along with the vine, the olive tree was one of the first plants to be cultivated and the practice spread from Central Persia and Mesopotamia to Egypt and Phoenicia and then to Greece. The Greeks, more specifically the Minoans of Crete, were the first to be involved in the full-scale cultivation of the olive. After 2000 BC the cultivation of the olive tree in Crete was very intense and systematic playing a primary role in the island’s economy. Between the 7th and 3rd centuries BC ancient philosophers, physicians and historians undertook its botanical classification and referred to the curative properties of olive oil. This knowledge is being “rediscovered” today as modern scientists try to find out why the Mediterranean Diet is so healthy.
The first export of olive oil began from Crete, not only to mainland Greece, but also to North Africa and Asia Minor. In addition, it was probably the Minoans of Crete who first exported olive cuttings to these regions. Cultivation of the olive tree quickly spread to mainland Greece and olive oil became an important part of the society and economy of the Mycenaean civilization. Read more…
