Frequently Asked Questions
Where did olive oil originate?
Olive oil originated in the Mediterranean region — specifically the area around the eastern Mediterranean, including the Levant (modern-day Lebanon, Syria, Israel, and Palestine), Cyprus, and Crete. For a complete overview, see our Cultural & Historical guide.The olive tree (Olea europaea) was first cultivated in this region approximately 6,000–7,000 years ago, with evidence of olive oil production dating to the early Bronze Age (around 3500 BCE) in the eastern Mediterranean. From this origin, olive cultivation spread westward along Mediterranean trade routes: to Greece by 3000 BCE, to Italy and Spain by 1000 BCE, and throughout the entire Mediterranean basin by the Roman period.1
Why was olive oil so important in ancient times?
Olive oil was one of the most important agricultural products of the ancient Mediterranean world because it served multiple essential functions beyond nutrition: it was used as fuel for lamps and lighting (the primary light source before candles); as a primary medicine and healing agent for wounds and skin conditions; as a cosmetic and grooming product (athletes in ancient Greece oiled their bodies before competition); as a ritual substance in religious ceremonies across Judaism, Christianity, and ancient Greek religion; and as a primary commodity for trade. The surplus production of olive oil was frequently the basis for economic wealth in ancient Mediterranean civilizations — much as petroleum is today.1
The Bronze Age Origins
The earliest evidence of systematic olive oil production comes from the site of Tell el-Burak in Lebanon (dated to approximately 3500 BCE) and from the site of Heraklion on Crete (approximately 3000 BCE). These early production facilities were relatively simple — olives were crushed in stone basins using stone rollers, and the oil was separated from the paste using manual pressing. The oil produced was crude by modern standards but was already valued as a commodity.
The Minoan civilization on Crete (approximately 2700–1450 BCE) appears to have been among the first to develop organized olive cultivation and oil production at scale. Minoan trade networks distributed olive oil throughout the eastern Mediterranean, and the civilization's wealth was substantially based on olive oil exports. The continued expansion of olive cultivation and trade established it as a primary economic driver throughout the region.
Ancient Greece and the Olive Tree Culture
The ancient Greeks elevated the olive tree to a sacred status, associating it with Athena — the goddess of wisdom and strategic warfare, whose gift of the olive tree to the city of Athens made the city blessed and prosperous. Greek mythology held that Athena's olive tree was the first olive tree ever grown, and the tree in the Erechtheion (the temple on the Acropolis) was maintained for centuries as a sacred relic.
This religious and cultural reverence for the olive tree translated directly into agricultural policy: Greek colonies were founded with olive saplings as one of the primary crops, and the sale or export of olive oil was strictly regulated to protect domestic supply. Olive oil was used in the Symposium tradition — the Greek social institution of male dining and intellectual discussion — where oil lamps provided light and olives provided sustenance alongside wine.
The Roman Expansion
The Romans inherited the olive cultivation traditions from the Greeks and expanded olive oil production dramatically, establishing olive groves throughout the Mediterranean territories — Spain, North Africa, southern France, and throughout Italy. Roman trade in olive oil was immense — Spanish olive oil (particularly from Baetica, modern Andalusia) was distributed throughout the Roman Empire, and the amphorae used to transport it are among the most common Roman artifacts found across Europe.
The Romans also refined olive oil production technology — the lever-and-weights press and the continuous screw press improved the yield and efficiency of oil extraction. However, the fundamental process (crushing, pressing, separating) remained essentially unchanged from the ancient Greek methods until the industrial era.2
The Medieval Mediterranean: Continuity and Monastic Preservation
During the early medieval period (roughly 500–1000 CE), olive cultivation was maintained primarily in the Byzantine-controlled eastern Mediterranean and in the surviving Islamic territories of North Africa and Spain. The Umayyad and Abbasid caliphates maintained and developed olive cultivation in regions where olive growing had been established by earlier Roman production. In the Christian west, monastic communities were the primary guardians of olive cultivation and oil production — monastery gardens throughout Italy, France, and Spain maintained olive groves as part of their self-sufficient agricultural model.
The medieval period also saw the development of the quality distinctions that eventually became formalized in modern olive oil classification: oil from the first pressing was recognized as the highest quality, and oil from later pressings (using hot water to increase yield) was recognized as inferior.1
The Renaissance and Early Modern Period
The Renaissance saw renewed interest in classical Greek and Roman agricultural knowledge, including olive cultivation. Italian olive oil production developed the regional distinctions that persist today — the development of DOP-style protections for Tuscan, Ligurian, and other regional oils began in this period, as producers sought to establish and protect the reputation of their specific products.
The discovery of the Americas in the late 15th century brought new crops to the Mediterranean (tomatoes, potatoes, corn), which changed the composition of Mediterranean diets, but olive oil remained central. The early modern period also saw the first systematic attempts at olive oil fraud detection — the Spanish crown established regulations requiring authenticity certification for olive oil shipments, recognizing that adulteration (mixing olive oil with less expensive oils) was a significant problem.
The Modern Era: Industrialization and Quality Standardization
The 20th century brought industrialization to olive oil production: the decanter centrifuge (invented in the 1970s) replaced the traditional hydraulic press as the primary extraction method, dramatically increasing yield and reducing production costs. However, this same innovation allowed for the production of large quantities of lower-quality oil — and the growth of the mass-market olive oil industry created the conditions for widespread quality fraud, including the practice of rebranding lower-grade oils as premium products.
The International Olive Council (IOC), established in 1959 under the auspices of the United Nations, set the quality standards that define extra virgin olive oil today. These standards — including the chemical parameters (free fatty acidity, peroxide value, UV absorbency) and the sensory evaluation by trained panels — were developed to protect consumers and producers of genuine high-quality olive oil from fraudulent or lower-quality competition.2
The 21st Century: Premiumization and the Return to Quality
The late 20th and early 21st centuries have seen a counter-movement against industrial olive oil production: the growth of the premium single-estate olive oil market, the development of high-phenolic olive oil brands that emphasize polyphenol content, the adoption of Harvest-date labeling that emphasizes freshness, and the growth of olive oil tourism (visiting estates, tasting, learning). This premiumization has elevated the status of genuine extra virgin olive oil — analogous to the wine industry's development of fine wine as a differentiated market segment.
The scientific research on olive oil's health benefits (particularly the PREDIMED trial) has also elevated olive oil's reputation — it is now understood not just as a cooking fat but as a health-promoting functional food with demonstrated benefits for cardiovascular health, inflammation, and longevity. This scientific validation has supported the growth of the high-phenolic olive oil segment specifically.1
References
- [1] International Olive Council — History of Olive Oil: https://www.internationaloliveoil.org/our-products/culinary-cultures/
- [2] Olive Oil Source — History and Production: https://www.oliveoilsource.com/info/olive-classification