Scholars report that honey and the art of beekeeping came to Greece from Ancient Egypt. In Phaistos, a well-known city of the Minoan civilization, ceramic cells dating back to 3400 BC were found. The exquisite well-known gold jewel of Knossos, where two bees hold a honeycomb, dates from the same period.
Also, honey, drink and food of the gods – nectar and ambrosia -, held an important place in the daily life of people not only as food, but also as a means of healing.
Hippocrates extols the beneficial effect of “wine honey” on healthy and sick people, Pythagoras finds that honey eliminates fatigue, while Democritus writes about the well-being and longevity due to honey.
Foreign travelers visiting Athens during the period of Ottoman rule attribute the longevity of the Athenians to the diet “and especially to the honey they eat after rage”.