The history of the pomegranate

Since antiquity, the pomegranate has been historically associated with the Egyptian, Roman and other important civilisations, as well as with religious traditions as evidenced by references in the Old Testament, the Koran and the Babylonian Talmud. Extensive references to the pomegranate are also present in the texts of Greek and Persian mythology.

The pomegranate is considered to be one of the oldest cultivated fruit trees. It appeared already before 3000 BC in Persia and its cultivation gradually spread to India, North Africa, Europe, China and America. Pomegranate has been among the first fruits cultivated in the valleys of the Tigris-Euphrates, the Nile and the rivers of India.

It was an essential element of Egyptian mythology and art, and pomegranate plants were depicted on Carthaginian and Phoenician medals and on the reverse side of coins used in the island of Rhodes. In Greek mythology the fruit was dedicated to the goddess Hera, who is always depicted in sculptures holding a pomegranate. Ancient Greek authors, such as Theophrastus, refer to the pomegranate as “roio”, while Dioskouridis lists the medicinal properties of the different parts of the plant.

In Asia, the pomegranate was worshipped for its healing properties and was considered a symbol of beauty, longevity, fertility and wisdom. In Greek and Persian mythology it is mentioned as a symbol of life, rebirth and mating. Based on the story of the Greek myth of Persephone, the pomegranate became a symbol of fertility, death and eternity and it was the emblem of the Eleusinian Mysteries. The pomegranate was used as a decorative element in the Temple of Solomon, in royal emblems and in priests’ mantles. It is a Christian symbol of resurrection and life, as well as a symbol of hope in Christian art. In Buddhist tradition, pomegranate is one of the three sacred fruits. The ancient Chinese believed that its seeds symbolised longevity and immortality. Pomegranates are also mentioned in the Koran as one of the “gifts of paradise”.

The botanical name of the pomegranate is Punica granatum. The term Punica comes from the name of an ancient Phoenician city in North Africa where Roman soldiers heading for the first of the three Phoenician wars in the 3rd century BC saw the pomegranate for the first time. The term granatum means "granular". Phoenician and Arab traders were the first to introduce the pomegranate throughout the ancient world.

Pomegranates have a long shelf life, which is why people carried them on long journeys through the desert, in order to enjoy their refreshing juice.