The olive tree first appeared thousand of years ago in the Mediterranean Basin, and from there it spread to all neighbouring countries.

It is believed that ever since the Neolithic Age, collection of both edible and wild olives (Olea europaea oleaster) were practiced in the Aegean area. The oldest samples of olive pollen so far discovered can be dated to the end of the Neolithic Age and they come from Crete and Boiotia.