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The olive tree is not only the typical plant of the Mediterranean but it is also a tree that constitutes the only culture of global importance. From very old times through the centuries, the traditions of the great oil-growing areas of today were born and consolidated—Greece, Italy, and Spain. The olive tree and oil are an indispensable presence fo...
Context in source publication
Context 1
... young archangel, kneeling in the manner of a noble knight, hands the Virgin an olive branch, a symbol of the peace and universal harmony that the unborn child would spread on earth. She wears an elegant damask dress (whose golden color reflects Gabriel's nickname, known as the "messenger of light") and a lively checkered cape (Figure 6). ...
Citations
... Famous is the tale of Athena, who won the competition against Poseidon by gifting the citizens of the city, subsequently called Athene, with an olive tree (Olea europaea L.) that symbolized rebirth, victory, and peace (Luyster 1965). The meaning of the olive tree has not changed over the centuries, and together with the dove, the olive tree is associated with the symbols of hope and rebirth in the Book of Genesis, which recurs in the episode of Noah's Ark and the great Flood, and the Gospels, where is mentioned during the Palm Sunday, before Easter that represents the triumphal enters of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem (Grego 2022). ...
In ancient time, life elements, like plants and animals, and unanimated forces of nature were usually associated with specific meanings related to deities and sacred rituals. In Roman archeology, the strong symbolic value of plants represented in wall paintings and artifacts was proved by several contributions, but this topic is often neglected. In this paper, for the first time, an interpretation is proposed for the plant represented in one of the most iconic paintings in Pompeii, the so-called “Flora” in Ariadne’s house. Here, the analyzed plant is picked by a girl turned away and holding a floral cornucopia, and it plays a relevant role in the scene. Through the analysis of its morphological elements, and comparing them with other ancient representations, we suggest its identification as flax ( Linum usitatissimum L.). Flax was an economically and culturally very important plant, widely represented in objects and paintings in the Mesopotamian and Egyptian area. We also suggest that the meaning behind the choice of depict flax was also related to its classical attribution as a symbol of fertility and afterlife as well as linked to the “feminine” sphere. This interpretation, together with other elements of the images, strengthens the already proposed interpretation of the yellow-dressed girl a wife, which is let to go this life for an afterlife, in the figure of Persephone.
Graphical abstract
... It was used in Greek poetry and particularly by Homer in his Odyssey to symbolize peace and life. This bond between the olive tree and Greece is certified by the legend, which indicates that Athena struck the rock with here spear, giving birth to the first olive tree (Grego, 2022). Olive branches were given to athletes who had been ranked high in the Olympics in Roman times. ...
This comparative study aims at highlighting the symbolism of the olive tree in Palestinian and Spanish poetry. Since the olive tree is elemental in both cultures, the study attempts to tackle four main themes of such a dominant tree: resistance, peace, eternity, and homeland. In order to conduct the study, a number of poems employing the olive tree are investigated and analyzed in order to highlight the closeness between the Palestinian and the Spanish cultures. The study tries to prove the matchfullness between the symbolism of the olive tree in both poetries. The selection of the poems is based on the common ground of the olive tree symbolism in Palestine and Spain. The only theme in which the poetry in the two cultures does not completely coincide is resistance. In Palestinian poetry, the olive is used to signify resistance against occupation, while this tree is employed to denote the resistance to socioeconomic classism, urban sprawl, and natural disasters. In order to make an outstanding comparison in the three other themes, the author selected poems of both cultures where the olive tree signifies international symbolizations.
