Industrial plants and palatial culture in Bronze Age Crete: olive in Linear A documents

Abstract This paper analyses all the Linear A documents, both administrative and non-administrative, recording the logogram AB 122 oliv (the olive tree Olea europaea) and its ligatured signs A518 and A587, thus producing the first systematic analysis of Linear A documents on the use of olives in Bronze Age Crete. Additionally, this paper crosschecks data on the geographical position and the chronology of the Linear A documents recording AB 122 oliv with archaeological data on the exploitation of olive plants in Bronze Age Crete. By doing so, it (i) adds a new angle on the potential connection between olives and the rise of palatial institutions, (ii) supports the inception of olive exploitation and systematic oil production in Neopalatial Crete, and (iii) confirms that central and south-eastern Crete were the core regions for olive production.