History of Olive Oil

The importance and antiquity of olive oil can be seen in the fact that the word "oil" actually derives from the same root as "olive."

The olive tree is native to the Mediterranean basin; wild olives were collected by Neolithic peoples as early as the 8th millennium BC. A widespread view holds that the first systematic cultivation of the olive tree worldwide took place in Greece, more specifically in Crete. The earliest surviving olive oil amphorae dateS to 3500 BC (Early Minoan times), though the production of the olive is assumed to have started before 4000 BC. An alternative view retains that olives were turned into oil by 4500 BC in present-day Israel.

It is not clear when and where the olive tree was first domesticated: in Asia Minor in the 6th millennium; in Palestine or Syria in the 4th[16]; or somewhere in the Fertile Crescent in the 3rd.  Recent genetic studies suggest that modern cultivars descend from multiple wild ancestors, but the detailed history of domestication is not yet understood.

Many ancient presses still exist in the region; some dating to the Roman period are still in use today.