Portugal’s Ancient Olive Tree Keeps Bearing Olives After 3,700 Years
Researchers estimate the Oliveira do Peso in Portugal’s Alentejo to be about 3,700 years old (potentially 3,712), using a non-destructive dendrometric dating method because hollow centers and irregular growth make traditional ring-counting unreliable; the tree still produces olives, illustrating how olive trees can rejuvenate and endure for millennia even as the oldest wood disappears—though the exact age remains an informed estimate rather than a precise count.
