Yes it was. That part of Europe is very fertile and always has been.
I’ve visited Malaga, Spain. It’s a beautiful area, but southern Spain has a Mediterranean climate with mild, relatively rainy winters and hot, sunny summers. I wouldn’t think it would be very conducive to agriculture (at least without irrigation).
The daily average temperature ranges from 55 °F in January to 80 °F in August. Precipitation is not abundant hence not conducive to crops. Annual rainfall is 21 inches per year, but it follows the Mediterranean pattern where most rainfall occurs from October to March. Summers are arid and it almost never rains. The wettest months are November and December, with 4 in.
It’s a lot like the San Francisco Bay Area climate.