260 HISTORY OF FRUITS. 



sand five hundred and fifty-six years before the Christian 

 era. In the fabulous histories of Greece, we are informed, 

 that the gods having been called on to settle a dispute 

 between Neptune and Minerva, arising from the desire of 

 each of them to give name to the new city of Cecrops ; 

 they determined to give the preference to the one who 

 should produce the most beneficial gift to mankind. Nep- 

 tune, striking the ground with his trident, created a horse ; 

 but Minerva, by causing an olive-tree to spring from the 

 earth, gained her point ; and from her the city was called 

 Athenae, now Athens; since the olive, the emblem of 

 peace or agriculture, was much preferable to the horse, the 

 symbol of war and bloodshed. Minerva and the Graces 

 are also represented as crowned with olive-branches. 



A contribution of olives was given by all the Grecians 

 who attended the Panathenrea, a festival held at Athens 

 in honour of Minerva. Those who excelled in any of the 

 games during this festival, were crowned with a wreath of 

 olives, which grew in the grove of Academus, a place 

 near the city, with spacious and shady walks, belonging 

 to a man of that name. Plato having here opened a 

 school of philosophy, all places of learning have been 

 since called Academies. 



As to the soil of the olive-tree, we may conclude, from 

 several passages in Scripture, that it grew naturally in 

 Syria ; but particularly near Jerusalem, if we may judge 

 by the Mount of Olives, so often mentioned in the New 

 Testament. It was first planted in Italy in the thirteenth 

 year of the reign of Servius Tullius, the sixth king of 

 Rome. 



The olive seems to have been highly appreciated by 

 the Romans ; as Pliny says, except the vine, there is not 

 a tree bearing fruit of so great account as the olive. 

 " Fenestella informs us," says this author, " that during 

 the reign of Tarquinius Priscus, which was about the 



