Olea oleaster in the context of Temple of Zeus, Olympia

The olive wreath, also known as kotinos (Greek: κότινος), was the prize for the winner at the ancient Olympic Games. It was a branch of the wild olive tree Elaia Kallistephanos that grew at Olympia, entwined to form a circle or a horse-shoe. The branches of the sacred wild-olive tree near the temple of Zeus were cut by a pais amphithales (Ancient Greek: παῖς ἀμφιθαλής, a boy whose parents were both alive) with a pair of golden scissors. Then he took them to the temple of Hera and placed them on a gold-ivory table. From there, the Hellanodikai (the judges of the Olympic Games) would take them, make the wreaths and crown the winners of the Games.

Oleaster, signifying a plant like an olive, but less valuable (cf. poetaster), may be applied to:

• Feral olive trees that have been allowed to run wild
• Olea oleaster, the wild olive
• Various species of Elaeagnus, notably Elaeagnus angustifolia, the Russian olive, the dried fruits of which are eaten during Nowruz