Since 6,000 years ago, the olive oil was a source of wealth and power. Olive oil has a fascinating history in ancient Greece. It was also food for the gods.
Hippocrates, the father of medicine, made olive oil based ointments, that he prescribed for the use of treating many ailments, because of its healing powers. It was a product with a strong and divine power, nailed in it, with a definite way and not an indefinite and vague way.
Since it was a gift from the goddess of wisdom Athena, it contained that appearance of a goddess. The athletes were applied olive oil on their bodies and in the Olympics, the athletes were anointed with it.
From the ancient times, olive oil was a necessity for the conservation of the every day life.
Extra virgin olive oil, vinegar, honey and sea salt were the main ingredients to make salad dressing.
Olive oil was of great importance in Mythology. An example is that god Zeus chose Athena to be the patron of the city of Athens (she offered Athens the olive tree), instead of Poseidon (he offered the horse of war).
It was referenced in comedy quite often, and one very famous example is the play “Pluto” by Aristophanes. It is said that, the container is full of flour, the wine jar is over-flowing with wine, the barrel is full of olive oil and the vials are full with perfumes.
Because the olive oil has the tendency to stay on the skin for quite some time, it was used for making perfumes.
The olive tree, the olive branch, olive leaf and olive oil, for Greece is some kind of religion. It was considered sacred from the Old Testament to The New Testament.
Ancient Greeks at the birth of a child, were burning olive leaves to give a nice fragrance to the room. When the child went to school, an olive tree was planned. As the olive tree grew and developed deep roots, and not strong winds could overturn it, the same way the child may grow and the alphabet and numbers should be rooted in the child’s mind.
Olive oil, liquid gold.