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Theolive branch, aramus ofOlea europaea, is asymbol of peace. It is generally associated with the customs ofancient Greece andancient Rome, and is connected with supplication to divine beings and persons in power. Likewise, it is found in most cultures of theMediterranean Basin and thence expanded to become an almost universally recognized peace symbol in themodern world.[1]
In Greek tradition, ahiketeria (ἱκετηρία) was an olive branch held by supplicants to show their status as such when approaching persons of power or in temples when supplicating the gods.[2]
InGreek mythology,Athena competed withPoseidon for possession ofAthens. Poseidon claimed possession by thrusting his trident into theAcropolis, where a well of sea-water gushed out. Athena took possession by planting the first olive tree beside the well. The court of gods and goddesses ruled that Athena had the better right to the land because she had given it the better gift.[3]Olive wreaths were worn by brides[4] and awarded toolympic victors.[5]
The olive branch was one of the attributes ofEirene[6][7] on Roman Imperial coins.[8] For example, the reverse of atetradrachm ofVespasian fromAlexandria, 70-71 AD, shows Eirene standing holding a branch upward in her right hand.
TheRoman poetVirgil (70–19 BC) associated "the plump olive"[9] with the goddessPax (the Roman Eirene[6]) and he used the olive branch as a symbol of peace in hisAeneid:[10]
High on the stern Aeneas his stand,
And held a branch of olive in his hand,
While thus he spoke: "The Phrygians' arms you see,
Expelled from Troy, provoked in Italy
By Latian foes, with war unjustly made;
At first affianced, and at last betrayed.
This message bear: The Trojans and their chief
Bring holy peace, and beg the king's relief."
For the Romans, there was an intimate relationship between war and peace, andMars, the god of war, had another aspect, Mars Pacifer, Mars the bringer of Peace, who is shown on coins of the later Roman Empire bearing an olive branch.[11][12]Appian describes the use of the olive-branch as a gesture of peace by the enemies of the Roman generalScipio Aemilianus in theNumantine War[13] and byHasdrubal the Boeotarch ofCarthage.[14]
Although peace was associated with the olive branch during the time of the Greeks, the symbolism became even stronger under thePax Romana when envoys used olive branches as tokens of peace.[15]
The olive branch appears with a dove in earlyChristian art. The dove derives from the simile of theHoly Spirit in theGospels and the olive branch from classical symbolism. The early Christians, according toWinckelmann, often allegorized peace on their sepulchers by the figure of a dove bearing an olive branch in its beak.[12] For example, in theCatacomb of Priscilla in Rome (2nd – 5th centuries AD) there is a depiction of three men (traditionally taken to beShadrach, Meshach, and Abednego of theBook of Daniel[16]) over whom hovers a dove with a branch; and in another of theRoman catacombs there is a shallow relief sculpture showing a dove with a branch flying to a figure marked in Greek ΕΙΡΗΝΗ (Eirene, or Peace).[17]
Tertullian (c. 160 – c. 220) comparedNoah's dove in the Hebrew Bible, who "announced to the world the assuagement of divine wrath, when she had been sent out of the ark and returned with the olive branch" with the Holy Spirit in baptism "bringing us the peace of God, sent out from the heavens".[18] In his 4th-centuryLatin translation of the story ofNoah,St Jerome rendered "leaf of olive" (Hebrewalé zayit) inGenesis 8:11 as "branch of olive" (Latinramum olivae). In the 5th century, by which time a dove with an olive branch had become established as a Christian symbol of peace,St Augustine wrote inOn Christian Doctrine that, "perpetual peace is indicated by the olive branch (oleae ramusculo) which the dove brought with it when it returned to the ark." However, in Jewish tradition, there is no association of the olive leaf with peace in the story of the flood.[10][19][20][21]
An olive branch, sometimes held by a dove, was used as a peace symbol in 18th-century Britain, France and America. A 1729 portrait ofLouis XV byFrançois Lemoyne portrays him offering Europe an olive branch. A £2 note of North Carolina (1771) depicted the dove and olive with a motto meaning: "Peace restored". Georgia's $40 note of 1778 portrayed the dove and olive and a hand holding a dagger, with a motto meaning "Either war or peace, prepared for both."[10] The olive branch appeared as a peace symbol in other 18th century prints. In January 1775, the frontispiece of theLondon Magazine published an engraving: "Peace descends on a cloud from the Temple of Commerce," in which the Goddess of Peace brings an olive branch to America and Britannia. A petition adopted by the AmericanContinental Congress in July 1775 in the hope of avoiding a full-blown war with Great Britain was called theOlive Branch Petition.[10]
On July 4, 1776, a resolution was passed that allowed the creation of theGreat Seal of the United States. On the Great Seal, there is an eagle grasping an olive branch in its right talon. The olive branch traditionally has been recognized as a symbol for peace. It was added to the seal in March 1780 by the second committee appointed by Congress to design the seal. The olive branch has thirteen olives and thirteen olive leaves to represent the thirteen original colonies. Later on, the bald eagle and bundle of thirteen arrows were added. The idea of the olive branch opposing the bundle of thirteen arrows was to "denote the power of peace & war which is exclusively vested in Congress."[22]
Theflag of Cyprus andcoat of arms of Cyprus both use olive branches as symbols of peace between the communities of the country; it also appears on theflag of Eritrea. Olive branches can be found in many police patches and badges across the world to signify peace.
Theemblem of Israel includes two olive branches flanking atemple menorah. This may be based on the vision of the biblical prophetZechariah, chapter 4, where he describes seeing a menorah flanked by two olive trees, one on each side.[23]
The emblem and flag of theUnited Nations bear a pair of stylized olive branches surrounding a world map.
The olive branch is a symbol of peace inArabfolk traditions.[24] In 1974,Palestinian leaderYasser Arafat brought an olive branch to theUN General Assembly and said, "Today I have come bearing an olive branch and a freedom-fighter's gun. Do not let the olive branch fall from my hand."[25]
Several towns have been namedOlive Branch as a symbol of peaceful living, such asOlive Branch, Mississippi. SomeWestern given names and surnames, such as "Oliver", "Olivier"[26] and "Olifant"[27] allude to an olive branch.
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