Ancient Egypt
The first references to the use of olive oil appear in Egypt. The olive oil was scarce and was used in cosmetics and pharmacy. The olive tree is depicted on sarcophagi.
Ancient Greece
Homer, in the Odyssey, refers to olive oil". Ulysses also used the olive tree at two key points: to defeat Cyclops (whom he blinded with a branch of the tree) and to defeat the goddess Athena.
Moreover, Athens owes its name to the goddess Athena and an olive branch. In Ancient Greece, the olive tree represented immortality in the Olympic Games (which began to be held in 776 BC). in 776 BC), the winners were awarded crowns made of olive branches. made of olive branches. In these competitions, the participants used the oil as a skin and dislocation protector.
Olive oil was not only used for culinary purposes, but also in medicine, cosmetics and fuel.
medicine, cosmetics and fuel.
Roman Empire
Olive oil reached its maximum splendour with the Roman Empire,
which improved the cultivation and commercialisation of olive oil.
Along with wine and bread, olive oil became a mainstay of the Roman economy.
Julius Caesar collaborated in this fact as he added oil to the annona
(a free supply that the army received as part of their
maintenance).
Hispania's popularity with olive oil comes into play here. This fame crossed frontiers thanks to the "excellent quality" that the emperors gave to the olive oil produced in Hispania, more specifically in Baetica (Andalusia). produced in Hispania, more specifically in Baetica (modern-day Andalusia). Andalusia). It is estimated that more than 30 million jars of olive oil could have been exported from this region. vessels of olive oil were exported from this region.
Its use during the Roman Empire was not only for food, but also as a fuel for lighting and cosmetics. fuel for lighting and cosmetics. It also began to be used to cure wounds, ulcers, reduce fever or soothe colic.
Middle Ages
With the decline of the Roman Empire, the popularity of olive oil also declined.
As time went by, religious orders began to take control over the production of olive oil. Thus, the oil was used for liturgical purposes. This sacred function of oil passed from one civilisation to another and from the Christian to the Muslim sphere.Christian to Muslim.
The Modern Age
The technological revolutions of the 19th and 20th centuries brought with them improvements in the cultivation, harvesting, distribution and marketing of oil. cultivation, harvesting, distribution and marketing of olive oil.
In the 19th century, olive groves increased in size in Spain, which became the country with the largest olive groves in the world.
con el olivar de mayores dimensiones del planeta.