Olive leaves 50.000 - 60.000 years old from Santorini island

The existence of olive cultivation in Greece is lost in time. It is likely here to pri-tokalliergithike. The man in Greece, used to eating from Prokerami-tion time. Residues have been found working in the wild olive Soufli. 

The 3500 BC in Palestine have the first signs of olive cultivation. But certainly use both the fruit of wild olive in the day. 

From the beginning the man in Greece using the script are references to oil. Although the oldest scriptures in Crete have not yet read, to preserve themselves from the hieroglyphic symbols and the Linear A Linear B, gives us the information of ancient reference to oil and olives. The abbreviated with the symbols, ideograms, puts on at the time, at least, the olive tree in an important position. 

The importance of olive cultivation is very great, especially on islands, because the tree can be planted on land not suitable for grain. Thus the agricultural soils of the islands are very few were able to grow to the point where the olive is most important plant in the production of cereals. The result was to increase the population of the islands, improving nutrition and creating products for trade. 

The techniques of cultivation and olive oil production amounted to Hellenistic era and remained the same in Greece until the mid-19th century. So we stood by the wooden screw for pressing and rotating the horizontal «vaccine» for crushing olives. 

The special importance of oil in the development of trade and wealth of ancient Greek cities are enormous. Equally important is the use of oil and the symbolism of the religion. With the advent of Christianity takes separate from Baptism, oil on Kolymbithres until burial, oil in the coffin during the burial. The strength of oil is not only organic but also metaphysical. 

Despite the sanctity of the olive tree has been an environmental problem which has long been. The treatment was waste and fumes. Determined, therefore, rules formulated by the old Byzantine law. Thus the processing of «Amorgos» (amourgia in men) should not be under foreign home. 

In modern times those who helped in the formation of the Greek landscape with giant olives in principle after the Venetians and the French. What interested them both was not just the diet of the inhabitants, but the commercialization of oil. The result is the huge groves in the Ionian islands and Crete. The cultivation of olive driven far from the Venetians in the areas in the last Venetian period of Venetian rule in the 17th century. But the conflicts in wars venetotourkikous cause damage even in olives. So we have total destruction of a large grove of Paros. 

Also in shaping the image of the landscape had indirectly the decisions of the Ottoman power in shaping social and economic environment of the islands after integration into the Ottoman aftoifatoria and affect crops. Key decisions are Achtna-guidelines for Cyclades in 1523 and Firmani for the 1539 men of Suleiman II and the Achtnames of Murat P 1580 for the Cyclades. 

The cultivation of olives in the Cyclades and the island compared to other parts of Greece remained insignificant despite all efforts to increase crop after the Revolution. At a time when even the crops can be considered traditional, the interwar period, annual average oil production in Greece was 112,000 tons for the Cyclades and the corresponding output 1000 tons. Also the annual average for table olives in Greece was 35,600 tons while the Cyclades only 250 tons