The history of olive oil goes back many millennia. So, in the wild, olives have been around for 14 thousand years. In ancient Babylon, archaeologists found a cuneiform tablet with an agreement to purchase 25 liters of the highest quality olive oil by a certain Mr. Sin-Ashared.
According to legend, once a person could travel from Mecca to Morocco in the shade of olive, fig and date trees. The homeland of olive trees was Southwest Asia. Caravans of travelers, loaded with the fruits of an olive tree, delivered them even to places where no one had ever tasted olives before. Kings and rulers of ancient states even estimated the size of their fortunes in jugs of olive oil stored in the cellars of the palace.
People began to purposefully breed them about 6 thousand years ago on the island of Crete. From there, presumably not without the participation of the Phoenicians, tireless seafarers, the culture of cultivating olives spread throughout the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Thus began the world history of olive oil.
Once, even in the now bare and desert regions of North Africa, olive trees grew.
The history of the distribution of olives is the history of the conquest of weaker civilizations by stronger civilizations. Cunning Romans, for example, subjugated many lands, allowing local residents to grow such a lucrative crop as olives in return.
And amphorae in the Greek style are still found in the Mediterranean basin. It is unlikely that any other culture deified the olive tree as much as the Greeks. She was considered a gift from the goddess Athena, a symbol of wisdom, strength and longevity, she decorated the kings and wreaths of the winners of the Olympics. Even the inhabitants of Athens were compared with the branches and leaves of olive trees, which no enemy could destroy, since they immediately reappear.
Storage
Such amphoras with oil can be seen even in drawings in Egyptian tombs. Their age dates back to 3,500 BC. In order to anoint the face of one deceased, 14 different types of oils were required.
The history of olive oil is very rich and interesting. Having spread from Greece to Spain through Egypt, Italy, Tunisia, Morocco and France, olives have become an integral part of the culture of the Mediterranean peoples. Their oil was not only eaten, but also used in cosmetics, for ablutions. One of the most popular items was flavored oil in alabaster vases. One lady, who lived 2500 years ago, even wished to be buried with such a "bottle of perfume" in her hands.
Traveling around the world
Of all the Roman colonies, Spain occupied the first place in the production of olive oil. Spreading olive groves to this day remain a recognizable sign of its landscape. In the era of the great geographical discoveries, it was the Spaniards who brought olive trees to the most remote corners of the world. For each ship departing for overseas territories, captains were strictly required to take at least one olive tree to plant olives in new lands.
Ceremonies
According to history, olive oil was also used in the anointing ceremony of monarchs, priests and the sick. Jacob smeared the stone in Bethlehem with olive oil (oil) after his dream of the stairs reaching the sky. The Savior, the Messiah, in Hebrew is called "mashiach" - "anointed."
In Christianity, pure olive oil is mixed with balsam, aromatized with spices and called "miro". It serves as anointing for baptism, confirmation, ordination, and unction. Thus, olive oil accompanied our ancestors the whole circle of human life, from birth to death, personifying the continuity and indestructibility of being.
Shine
We will not forget that olive oil was used for oil lamps, as it does not give soot. And the Egyptian temples of the god Ra, and the temple of Solomon in Jerusalem, and Christian churches, and Muslim mosques - all of them were lit with olive oil. Even in the 18th century, 100 years before the invention of electricity, lamps with olive oil were used at the court of French kings.