8,000 year old olive oil

Research by scientists has shown that olive oil has been pressed and used 8,000 years ago.

People can start domesticating plants from 6,000-8,000 years ago, but this is the first evidence of olive oil in Israel.(Photo: IAA)

The Israeli Antiquities Agency (IAA) accidentally discovered clay pots during the excavation period 2011-2013. Based on the results of the analysis of organic residues inside, they identified the jar containing olive oil.

To test, the team studied and compared today's clay samples and the amount of olive oil that was around a year inside them, and found the chemical similarity between the samples.

According to Live Science, the team examined 20 ceramic pots, two of them from 5,800 BC. This shows that olive oil has been preserved for about 8,000 years.

"This is the earliest evidence of olive oil and its use in the country, and possibly in the entire Mediterranean basin," said Ianir Milevski and Nimrod Getzov, two IAA excavation managers. .

The findings also reinforce the evidence for previous research, which indicates that olive trees were first domesticated between 6,000 and 8,000 years ago. Archaeologists say the olive oil industry has been thriving in the northern part of Israel. But this is the first clear evidence that this oil was used very early.