The best known symbol for world peace is the dove carrying an olive branch with its beak. It is the oldest symbol of peace.
The dove with the olive branch appeared in the story of Noa’s Ark. A few thousand years ago, people with their bad behavior and evil deeds, made God so mad that he wanted to destroy them. He covered the earth with water and destroyed everything on it.
According to the biblical story, Noa send out a dove to see if the waters had receded. The dove returned carrying an olive branch in its beak, symbolizing peace, freedom and also new beggining. Hope for another chance of mankind on earth.
In the ancient Greece, many years before Christ, the goddess of peace Irene loved the olive tree. To the ancient Greeks the olive tree was abundance and also kept away evil spirits.
In 1949 Picasso was invited to paint a unique image to represent peace. He made the dove with the olive branch, a simple image, and he put it on a poster for the World Peace Congress, a modern symbol of peace, that became the most recognisable symbol of peace. It was resurrected and regained the glory of the world peace symbol. “World without weapons.”
The world map enclosed by two olive branches make the logo of the United Nations.