The History of Tunisia and that of olive oil are interconnected. In fact, all the Mediterranean civilizations that were part of the Tunisian history (Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthagians, Romans and Arabs) had contributed to the olive tree cultivation traditions.

Olive tree cultivation in Tunisia dates back to the VIII century AC, before the foundation of Carthage by Queen Didon. The Phoenicians were the leaders of the olive tree cultivation in North Africa.      At the time of Carthagians, a genuine effort at olive oil cultivation started to spread on a wide scale later thanks to the advantages olive tree cultivators found in planting this tree...

Then the Romans further developed the olive tree cultivation by improving the irrigation techniques in this land with moderate rainfalls. Not less important, they developed the oil extraction techniques as demonstrated the excavations in Sbeitla and El Jem as well as the varying Roman mosaics discovered in Sousse.

    The Andalusia Arabs who came later to Tunisia profited from the available facilities to acquire farms and cultivate olive trees.

     As we have seen, all the passing civilizations storting from the Phoenicians had made olive tree cultivation one of the cornerstones in the economy of the country.