Olea europaea

The olive, botanical name Olea europaea (meaning "European olive"), is a species of small, subtropical evergreen tree in the family Oleaceae. Originating in Asia Minor, it is abundant throughout the Mediterranean Basin, with wild subspecies in Africa and western Asia; modern cultivars are traced primarily to the Near East, Aegean Sea, and Strait of Gibraltar. The olive is the type species for its genus, Olea, and lends its name to the Oleaceae plant family, which includes species such as lilac, jasmine, forsythia, and the true ash tree. The olive fruit is classed botanically as a drupe, similar to the cherry or peach. The term oil—now used to describe any viscous water-insoluble liquid, such as petroleum—was virtually synonymous with olive oil, the liquid fat made from olives. The olive has deep historical, economic, and cultural significance in the Mediterranean; Georges Duhamel remarked that the "Mediterranean ends where the olive tree no longer grows". Among the oldest fruit trees domesticated by humans, the olive was first cultivated in the Eastern Mediterranean between 8,000 and 6,000 years ago, most likely in the Levant. It gradually disseminated throughout the Mediterranean via trade and human migration starting in the 16th century BC; the olive took root in Crete around 3500 BC and reached Iberia by about 1050 BC. Olive cultivation has been credited for the growth and development of various Mediterranean civilizations, from the Minoans and Myceneans of the Bronze Age to the Greeks and Romans of classical antiquity. The olive has long been prized throughout the Mediterranean for its myriad uses and properties. Aside from its edible fruit, the extracted oil was used for lamp fuel, personal grooming, cosmetics, soap, multi-purpose lubrication, and medicine; its wood was sometimes used for construction. Owing to its utility, resilience, and longevity—which can allegedly reach over 3,000 years—the olive also held symbolic and spiritual importance in various cultures; it was used in religious rituals, f...