The Early History of Olive Oil

actually produce better when subjected to these stressful conditions, and as a result, olive trees have traditionally been grown on land where little else will survive. Archaeologists today are divided over exactly where the first domestication of the olive occurred: Some say it was in the area which is now Iran, Syria, Jordan and Egypt, while others contend it was in mainland Greece or on the island of Crete. The one thing that can be said with certainty is that cultivation began at least 6,000 years ago and spread slowly westward across the lands bordering on the Mediterranean Sea. Olive oil was used for a variety of purposes during these early times, including as a pharmacological ointment and in rituals for anointing royalty.