The iconic frescoes found at sites like Knossos depict elegantly clad figures carrying amphorae filled with the precious liquid. The Birth of Domestication in the Levant The earliest definitive evidence of olive domestication comes from the Levant, encompassing modern-day Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, and Syria.
The Birthplace of Olive Oil in the Mediterranean Basin
This region is where agriculture first took root, and among the earliest cultivated trees was the olive. This period marked olive oil’s evolution from a local staple to a valuable commodity, forming the backbone of the Minoan economy and influencing trade networks across the Aegean.
The story of olive oil begins not in a modern laboratory, but in the sun-drenched groves of the ancient Mediterranean. It was central to the Olympic Games, used to anoint victorious athletes.
The Birthplace of Olive Oil in the Mediterranean Basin
It fueled the sacred lamps in temples and was a staple of the Mediterranean diet, a tradition that modern science continues to validate. Archaeological digs at sites like Tel Megiddo and Ein Zippori have uncovered stone tools and pottery fragments dating back to the 4th millennium BCE, strongly indicating that olives were being pressed for oil.
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