Myths and Legends in the History of the Olive Tree
Below we discuss the Olive Tree and its 6,000 years of history
The story of the olive tree and its characteristics is deeply intertwined with that of humanity; in the origins of this precious golden liquid, the extra virgin olive oil, history and mythology are closely intertwined, to the point of becoming indistinguishable.
First appearing probably in Western Asia, the olive tree spread throughout the Mediterranean region, where its worship was embraced by all religions.
Since ancient times, the olive tree has been considered a transcendent symbol of spirituality and sacredness. Synonymous with fertility and rebirth, resilience to the ravages of time and war, symbol of peace and value, the olive represented in mythology, as well as in religion, a natural element of strength and purification.
It is now established that the cultivation of the olive tree dates back at least 6,000 years: this is supported by traditional tales, religious texts, and archaeological discoveries.
Probably, the plant had its original habitat in Syria, and the first people to think of transforming a wild plant into a domesticated species were undoubtedly those who spoke a Semitic language.
From Syria, it was easy to transplant it to Greece, where it found unexpected fortune and application, becoming essential to the ancient peoples of the Mediterranean.
To affirm the millennia-old history of the olive, we remember how tradition places the “Mount of Olives” in front of ancient Jerusalem, or how the beauty of this plant is often extolled in the “Old Testament” (see the book of the prophet Hosea, where the God of Israel is compared to the magnificence of the olive). There are approximately seventy references to it in the Bible.
On the other hand, that this was a symbol is also clarified by the episode of the dove that returns to Noah’s ark holding an olive branch in its beak. The very name of Jesus, Christos, simply means anointed. The Bible tells that it was an Angel who gave Seth, the son of Adam, three seeds to place between his father’s lips after his death. From Adam’s ashes, a cedar, a cypress, and an olive tree thus sprouted.
In Christian tradition, for centuries, olive oil has been used for the celebration of certain Sacraments, Confirmation, priestly ordination, and Last Rites. A blessed olive branch is distributed to all the faithful on Palm Sunday, in memory of the resurrection and as a symbol of peace.
In ancient Greece, the victorious Athenians were offered a crown of olive and a flask of oil; while the ancient Romans wove olive twigs into crowns to reward the most valiant citizens.
We know that in Athens it was sacred to the goddess Athena, and it is undoubtedly interesting that it has been considered sacred by many cultures, perhaps not only for its caloric contribution but for its very nature as a resilient and long-lived plant.
The oil pressed from olives was not only, in ancient times, a food resource; it was also used as a cosmetic and as an aid in massages.
Moreover, athletes, particularly those who engaged in wrestling, used to cover their muscles with pure oil, both for warming them up and to counteract the grip of their opponents.
The Romans, who cultivated the olive tree starting from 580 B.C., used it in a manner that could be described as excessive; Gaius Pliny the Elder claimed that there are fifteen species of olives, and he listed their virtues. Today, the various cultivars are known by different names such as Taggiasca, Casalina, Nebiolo, Gargnan, Trillo, Carpellese, Punteruolo, Augellina, Cellina del Nardò, Colombino, Ciccinella, Moraiola, Leccina, Monopolese, Ogliarolo del Gargano, and many others often named after the locality where they grow.
In Western cultures, the word oil can certainly be traced back to the Latin word oleum and the Greek elaion, even to the ancient Semitic ulu.
In a brief historical overview, we cannot forget that the culture of olive oil has reached us through the Middle Ages, thanks to some religious orders, particularly the Benedictines and Cistercians.
The Benedictines, devoted to the belief in prayer and work, persuaded farmers and agricultural workers not to abandon the land but to focus on profitable crops such as olives.
The great figure among the Cistercians was Bernard of Clairvaux, known as “the last of the Church Fathers.” His monks taught the farmers, disillusioned by their semi-servitude, to plow the fields, plant cash crops, and gain independence as producers.
Never were there perhaps so many olive groves and vineyards as from the 1000 to the 1400s, the golden years of the Benedictine and Cistercian monks.