A new archaeological study shows that olive oil was already produced in Italy several centuries before the expansion of the Roman empire.
Material remains found in the south of the Italian peninsula indicate that local communities mastered olive processing techniques long before Rome turned this product into an economic and cultural symbol of the Mediterranean.
The research, based on analysis of organic residues found in ancient ceramics, substantially changes the accepted chronology of the origin of the olive oil in Italy.
Until now, it was believed that its systematic production was directly linked to Roman growth. However, new data show that There was already a previous traditiondeveloped by Italic peoples who inhabited the region before Roman rule.
How this discovery about olive oil production was made
The central axis of the study is based on the chemical analysis of vessels found in settlements in southern Italydated between the 9th and 8th centuries BC
In these containers, lipid compounds compatible with the olive oilconfirming that the olives were not only harvested, but also They were processed to obtain oil.
This finding is key because it shows that the olive oil It was part of the local diet and economy long before Rome expanded its influence.
The researchers maintain that these communities They already knew basic pressing and decanting techniquesalthough on a smaller scale than the later industrialization of the Roman period.
Furthermore, the study suggests that Italy was not only a late recipient of the olive culture since Greeceas was thought, but a territory where cultivation and production developed early and autonomously.
This reinforces the idea of an ancient Mediterranean much more interconnected and dynamic than traditional theories indicated.
In addition to food, olive oil had other uses in ancient Italy.
He olive oil It wasn’t just a food. In the context of ancient Italy, it also had ritual, medicinal and domestic uses.
The discovery of residues in everyday ceramics indicates that their presence was integrated into the daily life of these pre-Roman communities.
Archaeologists explain that early olive oil production would have required in-depth knowledge of the natural environment: selection of olive varieties, control of harvest times and conservation methods.
This knowledge was transmitted from generation to generation, consolidating a tradition that later Roma would amplify on a large scale.
The study also allows us to reinterpret the role of Italy in the agricultural history of the Mediterranean. Far from being a territory that late adopted external innovations, it now appears as an active space in the experimentation and dissemination of key productive practices.
