In the heart of the Aegean, in today’s Urla district of İzmir, lies the ancient city of Klazomenai. More than just a settlement of the Ionian League, Klazomenai made history as the place where olive oil production first reached an industrial scale. The roots of the extra virgin olive oil we enjoy today were planted here some 2,600 years ago.
The Story of a City Shaped by Olive Oil
The origins of Klazomenai go back to the Iron Age. As one of the proud members of the Ionian League, the city soon grew through trade, founding colonies such as Naukratis in Egypt and Abdera in Thrace.
But Klazomenai’s history was not always smooth.
In the 6th century BC, the Persian invasion shook the city, forcing its people to relocate to nearby Karantina Island. Later, Alexander the Great reconnected the island to the mainland with a causeway, uniting the two once again.
Despite all these challenges, Klazomenai never abandoned production. The olive tree became both a source of livelihood and a symbol of resilience for its people.
The World’s First Olive Oil Factory
Klazomenai’s greatest contribution to world history is undoubtedly its olive oil workshop, built in the 6th century BC. This was not just a place of production, but a turning point in the history of olive oil itself.
Archaeological excavations have revealed the details of this early production system:
- Olive-crushing stones and mortars show that olives were first broken into coarse pieces.
- They were then pressed with large stone weights to extract oil, which was collected in rock-carved basins.
- Special settling pits were used to separate the oil from water.
- Finally, the oil was stored in two-handled amphorae and exported across the Mediterranean.
This facility was far more than a local workshop. It marked the birth of industrial-scale olive oil production. The methods developed here laid the foundations of today’s modern mills. While steel presses and centrifuges have replaced stone tools, the principles of pressing, separating, and storing oil remain essentially the same.
For this reason, archaeologists recognize Klazomenai’s site as the oldest known industrial olive oil factory in the world. Every bottle of extra virgin olive oil we enjoy today carries the legacy of this ancient innovation.
A 2,600-Year-Old Tradition on Your Table
The extra virgin olive oils produced in Urla’s fertile lands today are the living continuation of this timeless tradition.
What began in Klazomenai 2,600 years ago still flows into our kitchens, bringing both history and health with every drop.
