The production of olive-growing knowledge in Portugal: Ancestry, science, and landscape

Abstract This article examines the olive tree as an aspect of the Portuguese landscape. After considering the notion of landscape as a concept, it traces references to olive tree cultivation and olive oil production, particularly within the Iberian context, from Antiquity through the twenty-first century. It argues that these practices form an important and understudied in the history of knowledge transmission, particularly what has been lately termed “artisanal knowledge.” It likewise points to the potential present-day value of recovering traditional practices for the future of industries connected to the olive tree in Portugal.