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Olive Tree Olive branch with fruit Source: Hellenic Republic – Ministry of Foreign Affairs The olive tree is evergreen and is cultivated in dry and warm locations. Olive oil’s name in botany is Olea Europea. It first appeared in the eastern Mediterranean but it was in Greece that it was first cultivated. From Ancient Greece until today, the olive tree is the most sacred tree of Greece and is directly related to Greek culture and to the Greek diet. Greece is full of olive groves. The olive tree, "the tree that feeds the children" according to Sophocles, is the protagonist of Greek nature and history just as olive oil is the protagonist of the Greek diet. Ancient Greeks included elements of the olive tree in their religion, diet and art, using its branch as a symbol of peace, wisdom and victory. Let us not forget that the winners of the Olympic Games were rewarded with a wreath of olive branches (kotinos), whilst Goddess Athena was named the protector of Athens after offering the olive tree as a source of wealth. Check that you understand what this word means in this document Evergreen: (a tree) that has green leaves throughout the year. |