Lin Foxhall explores the cultivation of the olive as an extended case study for understanding ancient Greek agriculture in its landscape, economic, social, and political settings. The olive tree was a key element in Mediterranean forming from at least the Neolithic period, but its place in agronomic regimes changed considerably over time and from place to place. Foxhall assembles evidence from written sources, archaeology, and visual images to focus on what was special about the cultivation and processing of the olive in classical and archaic Greece, and how and why these practices differed from Roman ones. Olive oil was always relatively expensive, but was a widely consumed and highly desirable commodity. Its symbolic significance, especially for Athens, the city we know best, may not correlate precisely with its economic and agronomic significance, however, the ornamental, symbolic, and economic aspects of the tree were not necessarily separated by Greek farmers. The evidence available for arboriculture in general and olive cultivation in particular suggests that, like most elements of Greek agriculture, they were practised on a relatively small scale, even by wealthy farmers. The adaptability of the olive and its potential to fit into a number of farming regimes contributed to its utility in economic contexts where flexibility and opportunism were key features. This investigation of the regional and temporal variability of the olive in Greek agriculture opens up new ways of understanding the economics of the archaic and classical Greek world.