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| History of Olive Oil |
 Olive tree has been around the Mediterranean countries for the past 50.000-60.000 years.
The cultivated olive tree came from the wild tree which had very small olives and produced a small quantity of bitter-tasting oil.
Remains of olive tree have been found in many places in Hellas such as Evia, Santorini, and Crete.
Especially in Santorini dated from 3500 BC.Traces of an olive mill build of volcanic lava were discovered by Fouque in Santorini (Thira) island.Also petrified olive leaves were discovered recently in Kaldera of Santorini.
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| Olive oil Olive tree Olive fruit |
*Around 2000 B.C. people used symbols (ideograms) for olive trees and olive oil. This ancient type of writing is known as linear A. in the still unpublished work by Menas Tzikritzis, it is claimed that on offering tables from southern Crete dated back to the 18th century B.C. ideograms of olive trees and olive oil can be read next to
the name Athena, the Greek goddess who is believed to have first planted the olive tree.
The same ideogram or symbol can still be seen after the destruction of the Minoan civilization.
Linear A
tablets, which were found in Archanes, show ideograms, which describe different types of food.
Among those are ideograms depicting olive trees, olive oil, wheat and wine.
*From the book: The secret of good health, Olive Oil, Advice on its correct use Nikos & Maria Psilakis KARMANOR under the Auspices of the Greek Academy of Taste |
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