"In that acropolis is a shrine of Erechtheus, called the “Earthborn,” and in the shrine are an olive tree and a pool of salt water. The story among the Athenians is that they were set there by Poseidon and Athena as tokens when they contended for the land. It happened that the olive tree was burnt by the barbarians with the rest of the sacred precinct, but on the day after its burning, when the Athenians ordered by the king to sacrifice went up to the sacred precinct, they saw a shoot of about a cubit's length sprung from the stump, and they reported this."
What is the common thread running through the following;
- The sack of Athens from the Persians at 480BCE
- Rome's 8th "hill"
-The end of the biblical flood
- the remains of an 1600BCE workshop in Cyprus???
Well, it's the olive tree, the olive, and the olive oil!
The Liquid Gold of the ancient world, that run empires, civilizations and the commercial activity of the ancient Mediterranean for the bigger part of 4000 years!
Listen and find out more about the fascinating story and myths of this amazing food!
Many thanks to my actors:
Jonathan Kydd
Tony Hirst
Mark Knight
and to Pavlos Kapralos and Miltos Boumis for their music contributions.
You can hear Pavlos music endeavours here:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzgAonk4-uVhXXjKSF-Nz1A
Miltos is playing and composing music with a traditional Cretan folk band:
Links and info about ancient olive oil:
Herodotus on the Greco-Persian wars:
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0126%3Abook%3D8
Monte Testaccio:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monte_Testaccio
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