Perfume In Ancient Egypt

Perfume was at the centre of aesthetics andexport only.
therapeutics for both men and women in AncientExcavated reliefs show that from ancient times
Egypt. Although the techniques used are mostlythe blend and quantity of perfume was as
unrecorded, historians look to the literature ofimportant as how long the scent would last.
Greek and Roman writers and relief paintings andPerfume was a major export material in ancient
artefacts to determine the production, fashionstimes with various countries battling to produce
and uses of perfume in this fascinating era.the highest quality. Susinum was a particular
The act of making perfume was considered anfavourite, and the competitive nature shows that
art form in Ancient Egypt. The craftsperson wasin ancient times, some form of uniformity and
considered to be an artist and the profession wasstandard was expected. Pliny the Elder described
open to women as well as men. The perfumean Egyptian perfume that retained its scent after
making process of extraction can be determined8 years, and the ancient Greek botanist,
by reliefs on the walls of tombs in Petosiris. TheseDioscorides, agreed that Egyptian perfume was
show that perfume making had an overseer,far superior to that made by other civilisations.
workers who completed the extraction and aEgyptian perfumes were usually named after the
professional tester who completed rigoroustown of production or the main ingredient.
testing using the sense of smell.Storage was in glass or stone vessels, with
The reliefs also pictorially detail two extractionalabaster being the most coveted. The decoration
processes. The first process shown was anwas ornate and often bejewelled, with packaging
ancient mechanical extraction process which wasreflecting modern day requirements of
similar to wine production. This required a largefunctionality and attractiveness. Perfume was
bag and two staffs which were used as a press.burnt as incense, as named in documents from
The second was a form of chemical extractionthe reign of Thutmose III which detail different
with the assistance of heat and soaking in alcohol.varieties such as green incense and white incense.
The processes are early versions of modernPerfume was worn for aesthetic reasons, in the
perfume extraction techniques that have onlyform of oil based liquid infusions, or wax and fat
really advanced in terms of equipment availablefor creams and salves. This suggests there was
and synthetic ingredients.also a medicinal purpose recognised.
The reliefs also show red berries poured from aPerfume was mainly for the elite classes until the
container, which details the nature of the productsgolden age. It was used by kings who were
used to extract different scents. The ingredientsbelieved to be of divine descent as it was
used in perfume were usually plant in origin suchbelieved that the gods favoured perfume. High
as henna and cinnamon. The ancient naturalofficials were anointed with perfume when they
philosopher, Pliny the Elder, records floral scentswere appointed to office to call the favour of the
such as iris, bitter almond and lilies in his Naturalgods.
History as being used in abundance. Myrrh which isIncense was used to hide the smell of animal
a resin from shrubs and other aromatic woodssacrifice during ceremonies. Balms were seen as
were used. Animal fats such as musk are alsomedicinal as perfume was thought to repel
recorded as being used in some perfumes. Somedemons and win the favour of the gods. Perfume
Egyptian recipes are still in existence though theywas also an important part of death and burial
are difficult to replicate.rites. Bodies were perfumed during mummification
However, the Egyptians had typically exoticas it was believed the soul would visit the gods
tastes, and in addition to home grown essences,and so perfume would repel demons. Interestingly,
they also imported aromatics such as ladanum3300 years after Tutankhamen death, scent could
from Arabia and East Africa, galbanum fromstill be detected in his tomb.
Persia, and the coveted frankincense due toThis article is under GNU FDL license and can be
unsuccessful attempts to grow it in Egyptiandistributed without any previous authorization
climes. The fact that ingredients were importedfrom the author. However the author's name and
even in ancient times shows the importance ofall the URLs (links) mentioned in the article and
perfume. The imported varieties were expensivebiography must be kept.
and initially reserved for the use of the gods or