The olive tree is one of the most typical characteristics of the Mediterranean
environment, and olive oil is one of the oldest and most important products of the material culture in this part of the world.
The history of the cultivated olive tree begins during the fourth millennium BC. Its spread is linked to the development of the great Mediterranean civilizations, from the first organization of states in the Middle East to the contemporary world.
Olive cultivation and oil production can be performed only within a stable society, with a rather advanced and complex political and economic organization. In fact a rather sophisticated knowledge of botany and agricultural procedures (pruning, grafting), as well as the development of specialized techniques are required.
For this reason the spread of cultivated olive trees has met with changing fortunes throughout the millennia, subject to social, economic and political conditions.
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