The Earliest Finds
The appearance of the olive tree is lost in the depth of time and it is difficult to determine exactly when and where it first appeared. Regions in the Eastern Mediterranean, however, are generally accepted as the homeland of the olive tree. Fossilized olive tree leaves in Santorini and Nissiros witness the existence of the olive tree for more than 50.000-60.000 years! (Psyllakis and Kastanas, ‘Olive Oil’).

The intensive cultivation of the olive tree began towards the end of the Bronze Age. Inscriptions on tablets of ideograms in Linear B refer not only to the cultivation of the olive tree but also to scented olive oil with herbs. The earliest evidence regarding the use of the olives in their nutrition dates back about 3500 years on the island of Crete.

The Olive Tree in Cyprus

‘Oleastro, the wild olive tree, most probably preceded the appearance of human beings on the island. Olive appears as a toponym at least 537 times, an indication of the importance and the spread of this valuable plant all over the island…

The presence of olive pits in the archaeological record as far back as the Aceramic Neolithic is a fact attesting to the antiquity of the olive plant on the island. Large-scale stone spouted press beds appear in Cyprus for the first time during the Late Bronze Age. Production was centralized and trade organized. The religion authorities, by elite or by royalty, monopolized trade. Large-scale installation and immense storage facilities were found in buildings identified as ‘public’, ‘administrative’ or as sanctuaries. There is evidence that the king of Alasia sent to the Pharaoh good oil to pour on his head when he sits on his throne. There are innumerable Cypriot of potential oil bearing shapes found in Egypt and elsewhere. Also, many amphorae, identified as oil containers, were found with rich burials in Salamis and Kourion…

Cylindrical rollers used to crush olives dating from the Hellenistic period were found in Kouklia. In the southwest of Cyprus there is a concentration of standing perforated monoliths, which were part of crushing plants for olives. There are 5 such monoliths around the area of the House of the Olive – Oleastro, which shows very early intensive cultivation of the olive tree and olive oil production.’ (Hadjisavvas, ‘Olive Oil Processing in Cyprus from the Bronze Age to the Byzantine Period’).

The Classical, Roman and Byzantine Periods

It is well known how the goddess of wisdom Athena, patron of Athens, planted an olive tree (believed to be the first planted in the world) on the holy rock of the Acropolis as a gift to the Athenians. In 5th century BC, every young Athenian had to plant an olive tree and care for it until adulthood. Olive trees formed Zeus’s ‘sacred grove’.

The vast Roman Empires introduced measures to ensure the sufficiency of olive oil for all its citizens. Being engaged in agriculture and caring for olive trees indirectly meant peace. Conversely, they would punish rebellion regions by cutting down their olive trees. Considering that it takes about four years for an olive tree to start baring fruit and over ten years to reach full productivity, that was a harsh punishment.

During the Byzantine Era olive oil was produced at large scale. After the fall of the empire, living conditions were extremely difficult and the olive became the symbol of survival for many inhabitants in rural areas.

In the Christian world, the olive tree is ‘sacred’ as Jesus sat underneath to rest. The olive oil is one of the three blessed products: wine, wheat, olive oil. Olive oil has an important role to play and is widely used in Christian religion. It can even be used to treat diseases of the soul and mind.

Extraction methods

Stone installations for olive oil extraction have been found in excavations in various villages in Cyprus when olive oil extraction was carried out with pounding. Frequently, olive oil extraction installations were also used for grapes. Even wooden shoes were used to crush olives with the feet.

In the Bronze Era, the lever was used in the extraction of olive oil, originally manually operated. Later, animals, mainly donkeys, were used for to push the millstones. In the Classic and Hellenistic Era, the cylindric crasher appeared in Cyprus (Kouklia, Archimandrita) and on Crete (Pressos).

Later, water mills were used, which were replaced by steam mills, which too were replaced by diesel engines. Latest technology today uses centrifugal machines of two phases, in which no water is added in the olive paste. Thus the olive oil preserves its organoleptic characteristics (flavor, smell, color) and no water waste is created.