If you take Greece apart,
In the end you will be left with
an olive tree, a vineyard and a boat…..
which means that with these items
you can rebuild Greece…..
Odysseas Elytis,
Nobel Prize for Literature, 1979
The Museum of olive oil in the beautiful, gorgeous, superb, stunning and very historical city of Sparta, highlights the culture of the olive oil which emphasizes the Greek identity.
Sparta is located in the south part of the Peloponnese peninsula and is one of the main locations of the best olive oil productions in the world.
Touring the museum you find out about:
50,000 to 60,000 years old fossil olive leaves, found in the island of Santorini, which confirms the existence of the olive tree in Greece.
The contribution of olive oil to the Greek economy, that has been present, from prehistoric times to the 21st century. Its role in nutrition, medical and cosmetic uses, its presence in religion and art, are of very wide range and part of the socio-cultural life in Greece and the Mediterranean region.
The cultivation of the olive tree allowed the opportunity to explore the cultural values and the development of technology in ancient Greece to present times.
Olive oil played a major role in the wealth of Greece, from the Archaic to modern days and especially from the late sixth to the mid third century BC, which is called the “Golden Age.”
The olive cultivation in Greece, from the earlier years, continuously went through social, political and economic changes. The development of olive oil production from the archaic methods to the industrial era, is present in the museum.
A double wooden oil press with a winch, found in the little village of Xirokabi, about 6 kilometers out of the city, was transferred to the museum. Also machinery from Byzantine technology and an animal powered press from the Ionian island of Lefkada. The revival of powered olive presses (water, steam and diesel) is in the works.
The olive museum of Sparta presents the heritage of the city and generally of Greece.