Olive Trees: From Archaeological Findings to the Symbolism of Passage
Olive Trees: From Archaeological Findings to the Symbolism of Passage
Olive trees—millennia-old trees with a striking presence in the landscapes of Christian history and of the ancient East—are also associated with symbols of peace, life, and renewal. During the periods when different traditions celebrate Easter, understood as a “passage,” olive trees also become an important symbolic element.
In 2025, excavations conducted by a team of researchers from Sapienza University of Rome, in the area of the present-day Church of the Holy Sepulchre, brought new elements to the debate about the location where Jesus may have been buried. According to the Gospel of John (John 19:41), the burial took place in a garden where there was a new tomb. Archaeological investigations identified that the excavated area may have corresponded, in the past, to an ancient quarry later used as a cultivation area, where fragments of pottery and agricultural artifacts were found.
Archaeobotanical analyses of pollen collected at the site indicated the presence of olive trees and grapevines in the region, with datings compatible with the period mentioned in the biblical accounts. Although the research is still ongoing—and biblical archaeology remains a field that raises different debates and interpretations—these findings reiterate the connection between the evangelical descriptions and the landscape of first-century Judea.
Beyond the archaeological material evidence, the biblical records themselves suggest that olive trees and their symbolism run through important moments in the biography of Jesus, from birth to the passion, death, and the idea of resurrection. His birth is believed to have occurred in Judea, a region historically marked by the cultivation of olive trees, whose oil was used not only for food and lighting, but also for anointings and religious rituals.
Later in adult life, it is on the Mount of Olives that Jesus appears several times in prayer and in moments of being together with his disciples. It is also there, in the Garden of Gethsemane—whose name derives from the Aramaic gat shemanim, “oil press”—that, according to the Gospels, he was arrested. Still according to the biblical accounts, the resurrection and the ascension are associated with the Mount of Olives, reinforcing the symbolism of passage, renewal, and hope, especially during Easter celebrations.
Between archaeology, cultures, and traditions, these millennia-old trees remain as witnesses to a story that evokes the example of love and the message of peace left by the One whose message crossed centuries and reshaped human history.
References
‘Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives’. 1870. Available at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Church_Frederick_Edwin_Jerusalem_from_the_Mount_of_Olives.jpg
Archaeology Magazine. Ancient garden found at Jesus’ burial site. 2025. Available at:
https://archaeologymag.com/2025/04/ancient-garden-found-at-jesus-burial-site/
The Times of Israel. Echoing Gospel account, traces of ancient garden found under Church of the Holy Sepulchre. 2025. Available at:
https://www.timesofisrael.com/echoing-gospel-account-traces-of-ancient-garden-found-under-church-of-holy-sepulchre/
The Holy Bible. Petrópolis: Editora Vozes, 2018.
