Monte Testaccio
"Extra Virginity" gives an overview of the importance of olive oil in classical antiquity, such as its use in cosmetics, bathing, and lubrication. Mueller describes an archaeological site on Cyprus, where an olive oil press stood in the middle of an ancient industrial complex. He reports that archaeologists speculate that the oil would have been used throughout the complex in various processes, such as perfume making and weaving; one archaeologist says that olive oil was as important to the ancient world as petroleum is to the modern world. Mueller also visits Monte Testaccio in Rome, an artificial mound full of amphorae debris bearing "tituli picti", an ancient form of labeling indicating an olive oil's origin, quality, and the identities of the merchants who processed and shipped it.