The history of olive oil is intertwined with that of Tunisia. Indeed, many Mediterranean civilizations took turns throughout history to spread the culture of the olive tree: Phoenician, Greek, Carthaginian, Roman and Arabic.
The olive cultivation in Tunisia dates from the eighth century BC. AD, even before the founding of Carthage by Queen Dido. The Phoenicians were the pioneers of olive cultivation in North Africa.
At the time of the Carthaginians, a true culture of the olive tree had begun to spread following advantages granted to farmers who created the olive groves.
The Romans developed the more olive cultivation by increasing irrigation on this earth to rain scarce, the technique of oil extraction as evidenced by the excavations at El Jem andSbeitla and the numerous Roman mosaics discoveries in Sousse.
