Skip to content
A woman harvesting olives

7 Symbols of Peace

The olive branch

The longevity of the olive tree reminds us of the fragility of human existence in comparison with the slow and steady growth of this ancient plant, which is also a renowned symbol of peace.

An olive branch
An illustration of an olive branch

Olive trees can live to be over one thousand years old, which means they can afford to take their time before bearing any fruit. It can take an olive tree around three years to five years to produce its first olives. Due to the olive tree’s long lifespan and the lengthy run-up to each tree’s first harvest, people who planted olive groves in the early days of olive cultivation were said to be expecting a long period of peace.

Olives, olive oil and an olive branch
Olives, olive oil and an olive branch

In Ancient Greece, winners at the Olympic Games were crowned with wreaths made of olive branches. During the Olympic Games, all warfare between states was suspended. As such, the olive branch also became a symbol of peacetime.

An olive wreath
An olive branch wreath

In Greek mythology, the olive branch was one of the attributes associated with Eirene, the Greek goddess of peace. The Romans referred to Eirene as Pax, the Latin word for peace. The goddess was pictured on Roman Imperial coins with an olive branch.

An olive grove in Castelfidardo, Italy
An olive grove in Castelfidardo, Italy

The Greek goddess Athena also famously planted an olive tree at the site of the Acropolis in Athens. The undying tree, which has survived for over 2,500 years, has now become a symbol of hope, prosperity, rebirth and peace.

 

Athena
Athena, the patroness of Athens and the Greek goddess of war and wisdom

Picture credits:
Featured image, woman harvesting olives: Tree photo created by freepik – www.freepik.com
Olive branch illustration: Clker-Free-Vector-Images / 29539 images
Olives, olive oil and an olive branch: k-e-k-u-l-é / 427 images
An olive branch wreath: Lucrezia Carnelos/unsplash.com
An olive grove, Castelfidardo, Italy: Cnippato78 / 98 images
Athena: Clker-Free-Vector-Images / 29539 images

 

 

Latest News

New7Wonders continues, find out how in our News Room

The New 7 Wonders of the World celebrate 15 years

The New 7 Wonders of the World celebrate their 15th anniversary on 7 July 2022, as this is the date when the Wonders were announced at the official declaration ceremony that took place in Lisbon, Portugal in 2007. On a historic night on an equally historic date, 7/7/7 – the 7th of July 2007 – … Continued

New7Wonders virtual reality laboratory visit for The Global Memory project

New7Wonders President and Founder, Bernard Weber, and Director, Jean-Paul de la Fuente, visited the N7W virtual reality laboratory in Düsseldorf, Germany, to see and experience the latest developments for The Global Memory project. Along with partners from Digital Architektur and MIREVI University of Applied Sciences Düsseldorf, in-depth testing and briefings took place as the virtual … Continued

New7Wonders courtesy visit to the Association of South East Asian Nations

During the courtesy visit of New7Wonders Director, Jean-Paul de la Fuente, to ASEAN headquarters in Jakarta, Indonesia, New7Wonders and ASEAN met to explore areas of common interest. The visit included a tour of the historic records and cultural artefacts in the official exhibition representing all the 10 member nations of ASEAN. The visit was graciously … Continued

Discussions with Indonesian travel industry leaders

Indonesia and New7Wonders have a historic relationship over more than 12 years. This was reactivated during a series of meetings in Jakarta with leading representatives of the Indonesian travel industry. The New7Wonders Director Jean-Paul de la Fuente met with the Indonesian chapter of the Pacific Asian Tourism Association (PATA), specifically its President CEO Bapak Purnomo … Continued

Computer reconstruction of the Bamiyan Buddha

When political or religious ideologies drive people to direct their aggression towards heritage sites, structures of global importance can be wiped off the face of the earth. By using computer reconstruction to record the details that make these places unique, blueprints can be created to facilitate the potential rebuilding of these sites, should they ever … Continued