Skip to main content
Log in

Olive oil production in Hellenistic Greece: the interpretation of charred olive remains from the site of Tria Platania, Macedonia, Greece (fourth–second century b.c.)

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Vegetation History and Archaeobotany Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The Hellenistic farm site of Tria Platania in Macedonia, Greece, has revealed large quantities of charred olive remains, indicative of olive oil production from the fourth to the second century b.c. There, besides stones (the endocarp), new archaeobotanical elements such as olive pulp and flesh (the mesocarp) and kernels (the seed) were recovered for the first time in the archaeobotanical record in Greece. It is the purpose of this paper to present some of the material recovered from Tria Platania and interpret it in the light of developed model sequences of olive processing. In addition, Olea assemblages from other Greek sites are discussed in which Olea remains have been interpreted in various ways.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Adam-Veleni P, Mangafa M (1996) Archeo eleotrivio sta Vrasna nomu Thessalonikis [Ancient olive factory at the site of Vrasna near Thessaloniki]. In: Εlia Κe Ladi (ed) Triimero ergasias. Kalamata, 7–9 Maiu 1993. Politistiko Technologiko Idrima ΕΤΒΑ. ΕLΑIS Α.Ε., pp 92–104

  • Amouretti M-C (1986) Le pain et l’huile dans la Grèce antique. Centre de Recherche d’Histoire Ancienne 67. Annales Litteraires de l’Université de Besançon 328. Les Belles Lettres 95, Paris

  • Brun JP (1986) L’oléiculture antique en Provence: les huileries du département du Var. Editions du CNRS, Paris

  • Chatzi-Vallianou D (2003) Eleokaliergia ke eleoparagogi stin Kriti kata tin archeotita [Olive cultivation and production in ancient Crete, in Greek]. In: Michelakis N (ed) I Elia ke to ladi stin kriti. Politismos, Perivalon, Ygia, Economia. Sitia Ktitis: 23–25 Maiu 2002. Chania, Sindesmos Eleokomikon Dimon Kritis, pp 86–104

  • Douzougli A (2003) Egkatastasis eleotriviu agrikias romaikon xronon stis aktes tu Ambrakiku kolpu [Olive factory installations in a Roman countryhouse, in Greek]. In: Kamilakis P, Kalapidaki L (eds) I elia ke to ladi sto choro ke to chrono. Praktika simposiu. Dimosieymata tu kendru ereynis tis elinikis laografias 20. Preveza, 24–26 November 2000. Theofanios Scholi, Athens, pp 65–71

  • Drachmann AG (1932) Ancient olive mills and presses. Levin and Munksgaard, Copenhagen

    Google Scholar 

  • Faklaris PB, Stamatopoulou BG (2003) I elia kai to ladi stin archea elada [Olive tree and olive oil in ancient Greece, in Greek]. In: Kamilakis P, Karapidaki L (eds) I elia kai to ladi apo tin archeotita mechri simera. Praktika diethnus sinedriu. Dimosieymata tu kendru ereynis tis elinikis laografias, 19. Athens, 1–2 October 1999. Athens Academy, Athens, pp 33–47

    Google Scholar 

  • Forbes RJ (1993) Studies in ancient technology, vol 3, 3rd edn. Brill, Leiden

    Google Scholar 

  • Foxhall L (1990) Olive cultivation within Greek and Roman agriculture: The ancient economy revisited. Doctoral thesis, University of Liverpool

  • Foxhall L (1993) Oil extraction and processing equipment in classical Greece. In: Amouretti MC, Brun JP, Eitam D (eds) La production du vin et de l’huile en Méditerranée, symposium International, Aix en Provence 1991. Bulletin de Correspondance Hellénique (Supplément 26) pp 183–200

  • Frankel R (1993) The Trapetum and the Mola Olearia. In: Amouretti MC, Brun JP, Eitam D (eds) La production du vin et de l’huile en Méditerranée. Symposium International Aix en Provence 1991. Bulletin de Correspondance Hellénique (Supplément 26) pp 477–481

  • Frezzotti G, Manni M (1956) Olive oil processing in rural mills. FAO Agric Dev Paper 58:49–50

    Google Scholar 

  • Galili E, Stanley DJ, Shavit J, Weinstein-Evron M (1997) Evidence for the earliest olive-oil production in submerged settlements off the Carmel Coast, Israel. J Archaeol Sci 24:1141–1150

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hillman GC (1981) Reconstructing crop husbandry practices from charred remains of crops. In: Mercer R (ed) Farming practice in British prehistory. Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh, pp 123–162

    Google Scholar 

  • Hjohlman J (2002) Farming the land in late antiquity. The case of Berbati in the Northwestern Peloponnese. Doctoral thesis, University of Stockholm

  • Jones GEM (1984) Interpretation of archaeological plant remains: The application of ethnographic models from Greece. In: van Zeist W, Casparie WA (eds) Plants and ancient man, studies in palaeoethnobotany. Proceedings of the sixth symposium of the International Work Group for Palaethnobotany, Groningen, 30 May–3 June 1983, Balkema, Rotterdam, pp 43–61

  • Jones JE, Graham AJ, Sackett LH (1962) The Dema house in Attika. Annu Br Sch Athens 57:75–114

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones JE, Graham AJ, Sackett LH (1973) An Attic country house below the cave of Pan at Vari. Annu Br Sch Athens 68:355–452

    Google Scholar 

  • Kislev ME (1994–1995) Wild olive at submerged Chalcolithic Kfar Samir, Haifa, Israel. J Israel Prehistoric Soc 26:134–145

    Google Scholar 

  • Kislev ME, Simchoni O (2008) Charred by-products of olive-oil production from Area P at Bet-Shean (in preparation)

  • Kloner A, Sagiv N (1993) The olive presses of Hellenistic Maresha, Israel. In: Amouretti MC, Brun JP, Eitam D (eds) La production du vin et de l’huile en Mediterranée, symposium International, Aix en Provence 1991. Bulletin de Correspondance Hellénique (Supplément 26) pp 119–136

  • Margaritis E (2003) Archaeobotanical data. In: Adam-Veleni P, Poulaki E, Tzanavari K (eds) Ancient country houses on modern roads. (Ministry of culture, archaeological museum of Thessaloniki, 16) Ephorate of prehistoric and classical antiquities. Archaeological Receipts Fund, Athens, pp 63–70

  • Margaritis E (2006) Olive and vine farming in Hellenistic Pieria: an archaeobotanical case study of settlements from Macedonia, Greece. Doctoral thesis, University of Cambridge

  • Margaritis E, Jones MK (2006) Beyond cereals: crop-processing and Vitis vinifera L. Ethnography, experiment and charred grape remains from Hellenistic Greece. J Archaeol Sci 33:784–805

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Margaritis E, Jones MK (2007) Crop-processing of Olea europaea L.: an experimental approach for the interpretation of archaeobotanical olive remains. Veget Hist Archaeobot. doi:10.1007/s00334-007-0122-x

  • Mattingly DJ (1988) Olea Mediterranea? J Roman Archaeol 1:153–161

    Google Scholar 

  • Munsell Color (2000) Munsell soil color charts. GretagMacbeth, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Neef R (1990) Introduction, development and environmental implications of olive culture: the evidence from Jordan. In: Bottema S, Entjes-Nieborg G, van Zeist W (eds) Man’s role in the shaping of the eastern Mediterranean landscape. Balkema, Rotterdam, pp 295–306

    Google Scholar 

  • Poulaki E (2001) Erga Ethnika kai ala stin periochi tou Makedoniku Olympu [Archaeological investigations in the region of Macedonian Olympus, in Greek]. Archeologiko Ergo sti Makedonia ke Thraki 15:331–346

    Google Scholar 

  • Poulaki E (2003) Farmhouses in the area of Phila-Herakleio and Leivithra of the Macedonian Olympus. In: Adam-Veleni P, Poulaki E, Tzanavari K (eds) Ancient country houses on modern roads. (Ministry of culture, archaeological museum of Thessaloniki 16) ephorate of prehistoric and classical antiquities. Archaeological Receipts Fund, Athens, pp 63–70

  • Riley FR (2002) Olive oil production on Bronze age crete: nutritional properties, processing methods and storage life of Minoan olive oil. Oxf J Archaeol 21:63–75

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sarpaki A (1999) The archaeobotanical study of Tzambakas House, Rethymnon, Crete. In: Tzedakis Y, Martlew H (eds) Minoans and Mycenaeans. Flavours of their time. Greek ministry of culture. National Archaeological Museum, Athens, pp 40–41

    Google Scholar 

  • Vaughan JG (1970) The structure and utilization of oil seeds. Chapman & Hall, London

    Google Scholar 

  • White KD (1975) Farm equipment of the Roman world. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  • White KD (1984) Greek and Roman technology. Thames & Hudson, London

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Mrs. E. Poulaki-Pandermali, the Director of the Ephorate of Pieria, for giving permission to study the archaeobotanical material from Tria Platania and for using the excavation plan. I wish to thank Prof. M.E. Kislev for access to unpublished material, Dr. Jane Renfrew and two anonymous referees for their suggestions and comments and to Gates Cambridge Trust, which funded the project.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Evi Margaritis.

Additional information

Communicated by S. Jacomet.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Margaritis, E., Jones, M. Olive oil production in Hellenistic Greece: the interpretation of charred olive remains from the site of Tria Platania, Macedonia, Greece (fourth–second century b.c.). Veget Hist Archaeobot 17, 393–401 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00334-008-0155-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00334-008-0155-9

Keywords

Navigation