This summer, I spent a few glorious weeks vacationing in Dalmatia, an ancient region located along the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea, primarily within modern-day Croatia. Renowned for its centuries-old architecture and stunning coastal landscapes, where limestone mountains cloaked in pine and oak forests rise from crystal-clear waters, Dalmatia is a truly remarkable place to explore and immerse oneself in both nature and history.
While on Hvar Island, famous for its lavender fields, vibrant nightlife, and numerous beaches and coves, I discovered that a 2,500-year-old olive tree (Olea europaea) was just a short 25-minute drive from our hotel. Fascinated by its incredible age, I said to Rick, “We have to see this tree!” I later discovered that olive cultivation has been a cornerstone of Dalmatian agriculture for over 2,000 years. The region’s limestone-rich soil and hilly coastal terrain, particularly on the islands, provide perfect conditions for olive groves to flourish.
As a student of ethnobotany, I’ve long been captivated and charmed by olive trees. During my undergraduate studies, I took an anthropology course on edible plants, and my final paper focused on the olive tree and its role in the human diet. I titled the paper Olive: An Edible Thread of Connection because I came to realize that the olive tree is a living bridge between the past and the present. Its products connect modern society with ancient traditions. However, what fascinated me most during my research was that people did not initially cultivate olive trees for food products. Instead, olive oil was essential to daily life, serving as fuel for lamps, a base for medicines and cosmetics, and a sacred substance for religious ceremonies. Often called the "petroleum of antiquity," olive oil was a source of enormous wealth in many parts of the ancient world.
Domesticated from Oleaster species, today’s large, pulpy, translucent fruits bear only a slight resemblance to the small black berries of wild olive trees. The exact moment when humans discovered that wild olive shoots could be grafted, replanted, and cultivated remains elusive. However, archaeological evidence suggests that around 6,000 B.C.E., farmers in the fertile crescent of Asia Minor began intentionally cultivating the olive tree (Rosenblum, 1996). Evidence of early olive cultivation has been found in Syria, Palestine, and Crete (Lanza, 2011). Still, no one is certain exactly where the wild olive was first tamed, and some suggest that olive cultivation may have developed independently in several locations. The spread of olive cultivation followed the expansion of ancient civilizations. As trade routes expanded westward, so did olive groves—from the Near East to Greece and Egypt, eventually reaching all corners of the Mediterranean. The Phoenicians and Greeks, both seafaring peoples, played a crucial role in spreading olive cultivation across the region (Bartolini & Petruccelli, 2002).
My love for olives deepened during my early twenties when I lived on the Greek island of Crete. In the northern coastal city of Rethymno, I spent several months working at an Ashtanga yoga retreat, where our hosts used liters of olive oil each month. The olive oil, produced on a local family farm, was unlike anything I had tasted before—bright green, buttery, smooth, and with a hint of spice. It was so flavorful that our host, originally from Athens, would often drink a few ounces straight each day. The quality far surpassed any olive oil I had ever encountered, leaving a lasting impression on me. Today, a few times a year, I make the trek from Tribeca to Kiryakos Grocery in Astoria to buy Creten olive oil by the five-liter containers for my pantry. While in Crete, I learned that during the height of the Minoan civilization, olive oil production was a major economic driver. Archaeologists have unearthed massive amphorae, some over two meters high, that were used to store olive oil in the Knossos palace. These amphorae were traded throughout the Mediterranean and even to Egypt, illustrating how central olive oil was to Minoan commerce.
One of the things I appreciated about our time in Hvar was how easy it was to escape the crowds. Although popular, the island felt largely unspoiled, with a rugged, rustic charm. Historic villages seemed as though they had been frozen in time for centuries. Eager to visit the ancient olive tree, Rick and I drove along bumpy, unpaved back roads to reach the Beroš family olive grove. Without a 4x4 car, we parked along the side of a forest and continued on foot. I was glad I had loaded the coordinates beforehand because there was no Wi-Fi coverage in the area. After a 20-minute walk through seemingly abandoned olive groves, I found a narrow footpath that wound through overgrown brush. As the forest opened up into a rocky field, I spotted the tree standing alone atop a hill. The sight of this ancient olive filled me with emotion, and tears welled up in my eyes.
The olive tree has long symbolized fertility, rebirth, peace, and wisdom. In today's world, filled with conflict and uncertainty, visiting this olive tree served as a reminder of resilience, endurance, and reconciliation—the capacity to survive and thrive in challenging conditions. This tree, with its 5.9-meter circumference, is believed to be over 2,500 years old, possibly predating the birth of Jesus. A rarity among olive trees, it is one of the oldest living specimens in the world. Amazingly, this ancient tree still produces olives.
It was the Romans who advanced olive oil extraction technology, developing millstones that sped up the crushing process (Kapellakis et al., 2006). Their efforts helped spread olive oil production across their empire. Rome’s demand for olive oil was so great that it led to the conquest of new lands, including parts of North Africa, which provided an additional three million liters of oil per year (Lanza, 2011). However, as the climate changed and the Roman Empire collapsed, olive oil production declined in Europe.
Olive oil fully entered the kitchen as a staple when Christianity took hold in Europe. The faith’s fasting traditions required an alternative to butter and lard, leading to the widespread use of olive oil in cooking. This shift laid the groundwork for olive oil becoming integral to the culinary traditions of Italy, southern France, and Spain. It wasn’t until the 20th century that the health benefits of the olive tree and its oil gained global recognition. Researchers found that diets which feature olive oil as a primary fat source reduced the risk of heart disease and cancers. These studies funded by the Rockefeller Foundation after World War II helped promote the benefits of olive oil worldwide (Lanza, 2011; Meneley, 2007).
Visiting the ancient olive tree on the Beroš family farm was a highlight of my summer. The olive tree symbolizes continuity. Its products have shaped civilizations, religious practices, and culinary traditions. Through its enduring presence in human culture, it connects the past and present.
References
Bartolini, G., & Petruccelli, R. (2002). Classification, origin, diffusion and history of the olive. Food and Agriculture Organization.
Kapellakis, I. E., Tsagarakis, K. P., & Crowther, J. C. (2006). Olive oil history, production, and by-product management. Reviews in Environmental Science and Bio/Technology, 5(4), 293-298.
Lanza, S. (2011). The History and Culture of the Olive Tree. Bompiani.
Meneley, A. (2007). Like an extra virgin. American Anthropologist, 109(4), 678-687.
Rosenblum, M. (1996). Olives: The Life and Lore of a Noble Fruit. North Point Press.
Vassiliou, A. (2012). The Olive Tree of Vouves in Crete. Archaeological Institute of America.
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