The commodity of olive oil in ancient Rome

In addition to wine, oil was one of the most important products of the Italian plantation economy. Although oil is one of the most important ingredients in Roman food and lighting, and olives are consumed as a delicious delicacy, it plays a much more modest role in the works of writers and poets than wine.

Not only was the fat made from olives much easier to digest than animal fat, but it was also used as a medicine, refining and perfuming cosmetics and ointments with special processes. Oil was therefore a prime commodity.

The olive tree invaded Italy almost at the same time as the vines and spread very quickly. There were hardly any countryside where no oil would have been produced.

As in the wine, among the oils were of various qualities, the best fame was venafrum, casinum and sabinum, so the oil of central Italy was enjoyed. The establishment of an olive grove was considered a costly capital investment as the tree grew slowly and did not bear fruit for years. It is true, however, that the olive tree lives for a long time and bears fruit for a long time (on the occasion of establishment of the olive groves, the Romans would say, “Poor fathers, rich boys…”

The fruit and berry of the olive tree (olives) were left to ripen on the tree for a long time until it almost fell. The ripe berry was not to be shaken off, it had to be removed from the tree by hand. They were taken in a basket to a special room on the farm building (torcularium) and extruded there in an oil press (trapetum) or an oil mill (mola olearia).

Around Pompeii and several olive processing equipment have also been unearthed. The reconstructed grinder pictured is on display at the “European Ship House” in Pompeii, but its original version can be viewed at the Antiquarium at Boscoreale.

The olive grinder was designed to separate the olive pulp from the seeds, which were thought to spoil the taste of the oil produced. The wheels have been carefully balanced so that they do not press against the side of the pool and do not crush the olive seeds. The oil was then, just like wine, stored and marketed in amphorae in wooden barrels in the more northerly countryside.