Home | TheOliveKing.com

Why and How was Olive King established?

lt started by an enthusiastic man who loves and passions olives.

Why does he loves olives so much?

Olive has long been considered sacred since ancient times and repeatedly mentioned in the bible or Quran. The olive branch has often been a symbol of abundance, glory, and peace. The leafy branches of the olive tree were ritually offered to deities and powerful figures as emblems of benediction and purification. Olive wreaths were used to crown the victors of friendly games even dating back to the first Olympics. Olive oil is often highly prized as gold in ancient times due to its healing properties;

Hippocrates called it “the great healer” and Homer “liquid gold”,

Galen praised it for its positive effects on health.

Olive is the main component of the Mediterranean diet which has always been regarded as one of the best and healthiest diets. The olive is one of the "trinity" or "triad" of basic ingredients in Mediterranean cuisine, the other two being wheat for bread or pasta and the grape for wine. Over the years, the olive has gained lots of interest and popularity all over the world due to its health benefits and one of them was the founder of Olive King.

Hence the founder formed a team with a mission to share the goodness, reliable information, and anything about olives through Olive King to more people around the world. We are passionate to provide you with timely and comprehensive olive’s related information. Hence, a vision was set that to be one of the trusted and significant olive-related information sites. Sharing is loving.

5.333 million to 2.58 million years before in Italy, olive leaf fossils have been found in Pliocene deposits at Mongardino. In North Africa, fossilized remains have been discovered in strata from the Upper Paleolithic at the Relilai snail hatchery. Pieces of wild olive trees and stones were also found in excavations of the Chalcolithic period and the Bronze Age in Spain. Hence, it is believed that the existence of the olive tree dates back to the 12th millennium BC.

8000-6000 B.C.

Neolithic peoples collected wild olives as early as the 8th millennium BC. And, the wild olive tree is said to have originated in Asia Minor (Turkey), which is between present Syria and Iran. However, other theories stated its cultivation may have started in the Phoenician colonies of the present territories of Palestine and Lebanon, much nearer to the Mediterranean, at the beginning of the Neolithic period around the year 6000 B.C. From there, the olive tree expanded towards the West to the island of Cyprus and on towards Anatolia or from the island of Crete towards Egypt.

1600-1101 B.C.

The Phoenicians started spreading the olive throughout the Greek isles in 16th centuries B.C. , then followed by Greek mainland between the 14th and 12th centuries B.C. where its cultivation increased. It gained great importance in the 4th century BC when Solon issued official order on regulating olive planting.

1050 B.C.

Olive trees cultivation was introduced into Spain during the maritime domination of the Phoenicians. However, it did not develop to a remarkable extent until the arrival of Scipio (212 B.C.) and Roman rule (45 B.C.).

800-601 B.C.

Olive trees cultivation spread into Iberia and Etruscan cities well before the 8th century B.C. through trade with the Phoenicians and Carthage, and then followed by spreading into southern Gaul by the Celtic tribes during the 7th century B.C..

600-501 B.C. and after

From the 6th century B.C. onwards, the olive spread throughout the Mediterranean countries reaching Tripoli, Tunis, and the island of Sicily. From there, it moved to southern Italy. Olive growing moved upwards from south to north, from Calabria to Liguria.

264-146 B.C. and after

The Romans continued to spread the olive cultivation to the countries bordering the Mediterranean, using it as a peaceful weapon in their conquests to settle the people. After the 3rd Punic War, olives occupied a large stretch of the Baetica valley and spread towards the central and Mediterranean coastal areas of the Iberian Peninsula including Portugal. The Arabs brought their varieties with them to the south of Spain and influenced the spread of cultivation so much that the Spanish words for olive (aceituna), oil (aceite), and the wild olive tree (acebuche) and the Portuguese words for olive (azeitona) and for olive oil (azeite), have Arabic roots.