Olive oil and the olive tree appear in both the Iliad and the Odyssey. Over time, references to the olive tree and its oil multiply. From the accounts of ancient writers as well as from archaeological finds, we can see that the spread of olive cultivation coincides with a more advanced stage of civilization.

As civilization develops, the olive tree becomes even more valuable. The olive tree and its oil remain a unique source of inspiration for distinguished modern Greek poets and prose writers even today.

Among the poets inspired by the olive tree are Nikos Kazantzakis, whose free translation of the Odyssey vividly describes the olive harvest and the press, and Odysseas Elytis, who in his poem "Ilios o Protos" ("The First Sun") ties his beloved name to the shade of the aged olive tree and the eternal sound of the sea, celebrating the Greek land, its vineyards, and its golden olive trees.