History of Olive
History of olive tree backs to archaeological excavations made in Santorini island in Eagean Sea approx.39 thousand years ago. There, it was said fossils of olive leaves in 39 thousand years of age had been found. Findings of olive tree for 12 thousand years B.C. come from the Sahra Region in Northern Africa. Olive tree is assumed as symbol of divinity, abundance, wisdom and health for centuries in history. Its significance in Mediterranean and Eagean kitchens may easily recognised from its frequent consumption in every meals and in every eatings.
Olive olive culture in our territory dates back to old times at which the Turks took over Anatolium from the East-Rome. Meals prepared with olive oil that was a significant habit also in the Otoman Empire are among the key stones of current Turkish kitchen culture.
Leaves of olive tree symbolize victory, intelligence and peace. Pigeon turning back to Noah’s ark accompanied by an olive branch had been deemed a sign that great flood disaster had ceased. It took important place in the imperial religious ceremonies in Mediterranean region from baptism ceremonies to oil lamps, traditional and sacred places in many religions. In terms of either myhtology or its position in daily life, it is not possible to see, follow historical tracks of olive in no other geography as much extensive as the Mediterranean region. For instance, history of olive in the Greece dates back to 4000 years.
Athena, goddess of intelligence and art, competes with Poseidon, sea god. Each of them were commissioned by Zeus, the biggest god, for presenting the most valuable award with manhood. Poseidon donates a horse and Athena ensures an olive tree to raise in the door of Aeropolic. Thereupon, her name is designated with the biggest city of Greece (as Athena). From that day on, Greeks belive they were born under an olive tree.
Aristotales considers the olive tree in a wider dimension and he describes its cultivation as a science. Homerus, born in Izmir, describes the olive oil as “liquid gold”. Solon establishes first laws to protect the olive tree. Hoppocrates recommends the olive oil to use as curative agent.
It was very eminent commercial commodity in the Old Greek and Roman Empire. Private ships were ordered to build in the Mediterraean Sea for making its business. It was a highly widespread belief that olive oil was a source of youth and power supply. In the Old Egypt, Greek and Romans, various flavors and weeds were mixed with olive oil and obtained cosmetics.
Sportive competitions that were organized in Antique Pirene city that is highly remarkable centre in year 1000 BA is the most popular activity in that city. It is known that olive oil in high quantity was consumed in Sportive Challenges, and benefactor citizens made their assisstance generally by donating olive oil. Although it seems strange today, in inscriptions some statements such as “that person donated citizens with oil during a year” are encountered.
In mythological stories of “Ilia and Elisa” that are covered by the Holy Bible, Ilia who is a sacred person for Jews renders meal drums and olive cubes of poor widows to be nonconsumable in famine period. (Holy Bible “First Kings; Chapter 19).
Death and Sleep were known as children of dark night. Those who were captured by the hands of death never escape. Those who entered into Hades, went down that darkness, in other words met with death never came back” says Hesiodes, an author lived in century 6, BA
Preparing a deceased person for final voyage was a duty and responsibility of family. If there was no relatives or kins of a deceased person, one of his/her close friends used to overtook things to be done. In general, women used to prepare a deceased person for ceremony. A deceased person used to wash soon after decease. It was believed that the death has made every thing dirty. Body of a deceased person is made oiled with olive oil after washing.
In Helenic era, olive tree was assumed a sacred tree and those who were cutting it were sentenced to death or sent into excile.
Holy Koran tolds about the olive. In the Koran, it is written that this olive tree came from the mountain Sinai, that oil was xtracted from its fruits and that this oil was used to provide meals with taste. Meal book of Apicus arriving at today gives idea about diversity, richness and usage of olive oil.
Morphological features
Olive is a tree like a tall bush or may be 10 meters in height, has dense branches, splay crested, always in green leaves. It has wide, bumpy body. Its smooth grey coloured body gradually cracks when it got older. Top of the tree widens every year as much as its height increased. It has a long life tree, it may live approx. 2000 years long. Its corona is open and asymmetric in abundant soils and is densier and round in badlands. Its stools are in gray colour, unsewed and almost triangular.
Its tough, plectrumlike, very short stalk, leathern leaves are lined up in correlative doubles.
Its leaves are simple, full sided and its ends are slightly curly towards lower face. It is 20- 86 mm in lenght, and 5- 17 mm in width. There are sharp dentations at the tips of leaves. Upper face of a leave is in dark gray-green colour and with no feather and lower face is in bluelike silver colour and covered with dense silky fluffs.
There are small whitish coloured, smelling flavours that blossomed in loose bunches under axils towards the end of spring season. Flavours that were inseminated with flavour dusts that were spreaded, were moved, driven by winds yield fleshly and oily fruit. Fruit gets green colour and after ripening, it gets a bright black colour. There is hard seed within its fleshly fruit. It is highly valuable tree in terms of “its oil” that was produced from its fleshy part and seeds. Futhermore, its tree has a very monumental and easthetic appearance. Its wood is extremely resistant to rotting.
Usage
Olive leave contains tanen, volatile oils, organic acids and resin. Leaves and body peel are used in a tea of 5% (infusion) as appetising, diuretic and antifebrile agent. It is also used in diabetes and known as tension regulator. It is used for dermocostemics field. Shampoos containing olive oil prevents hair from alopecia, provides hair with getting quick long, assists hairy skin with lesion to repair and prevents hair from scuff formation. Liquid soaps, shower gels, solid soaps and baby shampoos with olive oil protect skin against negative outer factors.
It causes skin to be pretty and makes ageing late and hence it protects skin against wrinkle formation. Olive symbolizes durability. Dermocosmetic products with natural olive oil have a gradually increasing usage in the world as it left no caput mortuums in our skin. It had been health and beauty source of Mediterranean people for centuries. It is designated as curative in Holy documents.
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