Numerous archaeological excavations have unearthed vessels, inscriptions and texts, all of which converge towards a common conclusion: olive oil was a prominent part of everyday life in antiquity.
Apart from being a pillar of economic development, olive oil was a central ingredient in the beauty routines of the ancient Cretans!
A precious legacy of beauty
Today, scientific research has shown that olive oil has a nourishing, emollient and restorative effect.
Its pure composition is rich in oleic and linoleic acid, polyphenols and vitamins, which make it ideal for softening the skin, restoring the shine and elasticity of the skin.
Although they probably did not have the means for the scientific analysis of this precious oil in ancient times, the wisdom of those cultures had highlighted olive oil as an essential product in their rituals.
Linear A tablets show that Minoans had already developed the art of perfuming olive oil using a variety of herbs. Some of the aromatic plants found in these tablets were cumin, coriander, fennel, pistacia, mint and sesame.
Furthermore, in addition to perfuming the body with a variety of aromatic oils, they used olive oil as a means of cleansing.
The most dominant beauty standard in ancient years included not only beautiful skin, but also a fit body. Especially men, used to spend approximately 6 to 8 hours daily at the gym, followed by the ritual of public baths, which were of particular interest.
More specifically, after washing their bodies with warm water, they used to bath in pure olive oil, derived from specific flasks, called Aryballoi. These flasks have been found in various sizes during excavations and testify to this widespread tactic.
Consequently, the next step in this ancient beauty ritual was body cleansing by means of a special tool called strigil.
The word refers to a kind of scraper that was used to remove impurities from skin surface, captured by the olive oil.
Last but not least, massage was made to athletes’ tired limbs, of course using again olive oil.
In fact, a relevant scene is pictured in Homer’s Iliad, where Odysseus and Diomedes were bathing in olive oil before dinner:
“…they went into polished baths and bathed. But when the twain had bathed and anointed them richly with oil, they sate them down at supper...“
Homer Iliad 10 577
As it seems, olive oil was an important means of beautification during Minoan times, a practice that was adopted and developed in later ancient Greek times.
Interest captures the fact that, olive oil rituals were also appreciated by the Romans. A sentence most characteristic is this of Polios, when he was questioned from August about what may be the secret of longevity:
“Very few things”, he said, “almost nothing. Just drink some wine and be smeared with olive oil”...
AURA KRITIS CONTINUES THE TRADITION
The same olive trees, in whose shade the Minoan civilization was born and was the beginning of the later civilization of all Europe, still bear their fruit today in Aura Kritis.
By preserving the ancient tradition, with respect to the sacred olive tree and appreciation of each and every one of its fruits, Aura Kritis loves to create pure products for a complete natural treatment.
With Cretan organic olive oil and care, pure skin care products are prepared, which enclose some of the aura of the fertile Cretan soil, the indelible beauty of this great culture - some of the aura of Crete.
