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The olive tree is one of the most iconic symbols of the Mediterranean basin, deeply intertwined with the region's history, economy, and culture. But how did this tree, originally a wild species, come to dominate landscapes across the Mediterranean? A recent study sheds light on the remarkable journey of the olive tree over the past 3,700 years, revealing the key role of human activity in its spread and success in the Central Mediterranean.

The work is in the journal Quaternary Science Reviews.

The origins of olive tree cultivation

Olive trees were first domesticated in the Near East around 6,500–7,000 years ago, but their expansion into the Central Mediterranean remained poorly understood.

Researchers from the Universities of Tuscia, Pisa, Rome La Sapienza and the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology examined lake sediment samples from Pantano Grande, a coastal salt marsh in Sicily (southern Italy), to analyze fossil pollen remains and other paleoecological markers. Their findings reveal that olive trees were already being exploited in Eastern Sicily as early as the 18th century BCE, during the Early-Middle Bronze Age.

This study suggests that early Sicilian cultures, such as the Castelluccio and Thapsos cultures, actively propagated olive trees. These communities may have used wild olives for multiple purposes—fruit, wood, and even forage for animals. However, it wasn't until modern times that large-scale olive cultivation became widespread.

Trade, culture, and the spread of the olive

One of the study's key insights is the connection between human activity and olive tree expansion. The researchers propose that trade and cultural exchanges between Sicily and the Aegean world during the Bronze Age facilitated the spread of olive tree exploitation.

The Strait of Messina, where Pantano Grande is located, was an important trade route linking the Eastern and Western Mediterranean. Evidence suggests that Mycenaean and Cypriot traders may have influenced local Sicilian communities to utilize olive trees.

The ups and downs of olive tree cultivation

The history of the olive tree in Sicily is not a simple, continuous expansion. Instead, it followed a complex pattern influenced by social, economic, and environmental changes:

• Early expansion (18th–12th century BCE): Olive trees flourished in Eastern Sicily due to human-driven propagation. This phase ended abruptly in the 12th century BCE, coinciding with the collapse of the Aegean trade networks and sociopolitical turmoil in the region.
• Decline and disappearance (12th–3rd century BCE): Following the Bronze Age collapse, olive trees became less prominent in the landscape. The Greek period (8th–3rd century BCE) saw a focus on cereal agriculture rather than olive cultivation in the Messina area.
• Roman revival (3rd century BCE–5th century CE): With the rise of the Roman Empire, olive cultivation resurged, as evidenced by a renewed increase in olive pollen in sediment records. Olive oil production became a key economic activity in Sicily during this period.
• Medieval transformations (5th–14th century CE): During the late-Byzantine and Medieval periods, olive cultivation declined due to shifting agricultural priorities and climatic changes.
• Modern expansion (18th century–present): The last few centuries have seen a large-scale resurgence of olive tree cultivation in Sicily and the broader Mediterranean region. This is likely due to both cultural preferences and the adaptability of selected olive tree varieties to different environmental conditions.

The lasting impact of human influence

One of the most striking conclusions of this research is that the ecological success of the olive tree was more closely tied to human activity than to climate change. While environmental conditions played a role, it was human societies—through trade, agriculture, and cultural exchange—that determined when and where olive trees thrived. This highlights the deep connection between human civilization and the landscapes we shaped over millennia.

Today, olive groves continue to be a defining feature of Mediterranean landscapes, providing economic and cultural value. The history of the olive tree is a testament to the enduring relationship between humans and nature, showing how our choices can influence ecosystems for thousands of years.