The Wine and Olive Route

Before the arrival of the Greeks, the Gauls mainly drank cereal-based beer (cervoise) or mead. It was the Phocaeans who brought, in their ships’ holds, the two pillars of Mediterranean civilization: the vine and the olive tree.

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🍷 Wine: the red gold of Antiquity

For the Gauls, wine was a revelation. It quickly became a symbol of prestige for chiefs and warriors. As the Gauls did not yet cultivate vines on a large scale, they imported massive quantities of wine from Marseille and Italy.

Trade flourished: it is said that a Gaulish slave could be exchanged for a single amphora of Italian wine!

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⚱️ The amphora: the ancient “container”

To transport this precious liquid along rivers and roads, the Greeks used clay amphorae. Thousands have been found at the bottom of the sea (in shipwrecks) or buried near ancient Gaulish settlements.

Thanks to these amphorae, archaeologists can now precisely trace the trade routes that followed the Rhône River deep into Burgundy.

Greek amphorae from Marseille discovered during underwater excavations.

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🫒 Olive oil: light and flavor

The olive tree also adapted perfectly to the sunny climate of Provence. Olive oil was not only used for cooking; it was essential for:

• Lighting (oil lamps)
• Medicine and perfumes
• Sports (the Greeks anointed their bodies with it before wrestling)

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🌳 A transformed landscape

Within a few centuries, the hills of Provence were covered with vineyards and olive groves, permanently transforming the landscape of southern France. This knowledge, introduced by the Greeks and later developed by the Romans, laid the foundations of France’s global reputation for gastronomy and wine.

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🧠 Key takeaways

• Introduction of the vine and the olive tree by the Greeks around 600 BCE
• Wine became a luxury product among the Gauls
• Use of the amphora for transport
• Birth of the French winemaking tradition

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📸 Image credits

• Massaliote amphorae — CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons