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The History Of Perfume
The first form of perfume was incense. Incense was first discovered by the
Mesopotamians about 4,000 years ago. Ancient cultures burned many kinds of
resins, bums and woods at their religious ceremonies. They often soaked
the fragrant woods and resins in water and oil, and rubbed their bodies
with the liquid. They also embalmed the dead with these perfumes.
We have learned from hieroglyphics on ancient Egyptian tombs that perfume
played a part in the lives of the Egyptians. Incense made its way to Egypt
around 3000 B.C. and with Queen Hatshepsut, it became very popular. She
led expeditions in search of incense and other valuable commodities, and
the results of which were later recorded on the walls of a temple created
in her honor. In the temple was a botanical garden filled with incense
trees recovered from these expeditions. Perfumes were found in the tombs
of Egyptian pharaohs. It is probable that the use of aromatics in mystic
rites predated the burning of incense and sweet herbs in religious
ceremonies.
Until the beginning of Egypt's Golden Age, perfumes were used only in
ritual for gods or pharaohs. Perfume was held in high esteem in Biblical
times and there is frequent mention of fragrance in the Bible. In the New
Testament, the three wise men carried gifts of gold, frankincense and
myrrh to the infant Jesus. Long before, Moses was commanded by the Lord to
"take unto thee sweet spices, stacte and onycha and galbanum...with pure
frankincense...And thou shalt make it a perfume."
Frankincense is probably still the best known of the plants alluded to in
the Bible. Burning incense was the privilege of priests in the earliest
civilizations. The custom is still in use today in Catholic and High
Episcopal churches.
Incense, aromatics, and perfumed oil became available to all Egyptians as
the priests gradually relinquished their exclusive rights. Citizens were
commanded to perfume themselves at least once a week. The Egyptians,
fastidious in their personal habits, took elaborate baths, which were the
forerunners of the luxurious bathing establishments of the Greeks and
Romans. They soaked their skin in oils because it gave them pleasure, and
helped protect their bodies from the drying effects of the torrid sun.
Egyptians created many scented creams and emollients. They would shape
them into cones and would melt them to cover their hair and bodies.
Bathing was an enjoyable, social pleasure, sometimes washing as often as
three times per day.
Egyptians carried perfume with them from birth until after their death.
Many Egyptians put perfumes in their tombs to keep their skin silky smooth
in the afterlife. Since the Egyptians believed that the soul ascended into
heaven, relatives saw to it that perfume accompanied the spirit. Urns
encrusted with gold, jars of delicate pottery, and chalcedonies filled
with aromatics were placed in the tombs. So potent were some of the oils
used, that 3,300 years after Tutankhamen's death, a trace of fragrance in
the tightly sealed pots of unguents could be detected when the tomb was
opened. Perfumes were used during the embalming process and took 40 to 70
days to complete! Powdered myrrh, cassia and other perfumes were used in
the embalming process.
The consumption of aromatics probably reached its peak during this lavish
period. Perfume shops were popular meeting places for almost everyone and
the daily bath was an important activity of the Greek citizen. Different
kinds of unguents were used simultaneously, with certain scents reserved
for particular parts of the body. The Greeks are attributed with the art
of making the first liquid perfume, although it was quite different from
perfume as we know it today. Their perfumes were fragrant powders mixed
with heavy oils, devoid of alcohol. The liquid was stored in elongated
bottles made of alabaster and gold, called alabastrums.
Egyptians took pride in the beautiful containers that held their perfumes.
These perfume bottles were also things of great beauty. The containers
were made from materials such as alabaster, glass, ebony, and porcelain.
Some perfume bottles were made from gold and stone. When glass first
appeared in Egypt around 1558 BC, it was considered more precious than
jewels.
Favorable climate conditions allowed Egypt to import many spices and
aromatics from India, such as ginger, pepper and sandalwood. Egypt still
holds a prominent place in perfume essential oil production, responsible
for a significant portion of the world's jasmine production. The ancient
Greeks and Romans learned about perfumes from the Egyptians. Trade between
Crete and Egypt was healthy and symbiotic. Like the Egyptians, the most
highly regarded flower of Cretans was the lily. The rose was also popular.
Greek culture took a while to develop after that of the Cretans. Using a
variety of fragrance carriers made from vegetable oils, such as olive oil
and almond oil, they added essential oils made from lilies, roses, anise
and orris root. Despite an earlier ban in the 6th century prohibiting the
use of perfumes, men and women alike applied them lavishly, before and
after baths, during the day and on all parts of the body.
The Roman public baths were spectacular, and the baths of the Emperor
Caracalla were the most famous. One room, called the "unctuarium," had
shelves with pots of unguents, jars of fragrant oils, and essences in
bottles of varying size. The Romans indulged in the practice of applying
perfume three times a day. Pet dogs and horses were also perfumed. At
feasts, birds were released from their cages to dispense perfume from
their wings; draperies, candlesticks, tables, and cushions were all
perfumed. The servants wore musk, marjoram, spikenard, and other
aromatics.
With Alexander the Great's invasion of Egypt in the 3rd century BC, the
use of perfume and incense became even more widespread in Greece. The
Greek Theophrastus of Athens discussed the various carriers of scents, the
essential oils and their plant origins, and even the effect of various
scents on our moods and thinking processes. He also researched how we
perceive scent, and noted the connection between the perception of odors
and taste.
Perhaps the most famous ruler of Egypt was Cleopatra. Cleopatra, well
versed in the power of scent, was lavish in her use of perfume. After the
assassination of Julius Caesar, she left Rome to become the queen of
Egypt. There she greeted Mark Antony, a Roman politician, on a ship with
perfumed sails. Cleopatra's arrival was announced by clouds of perfume
before her barge came into view. Antony fell under her spell and in fact
was so in love with her, that he killed himself upon hearing a false
report that she was dead. Likewise, on hearing of Anthony's death,
Cleopatra killed herself by provoking an asp to bite her.
Nefertiti, an Egyptian beauty from an earlier dynasty, surrounded herself
with perfume: containers with myrrh, flacons filled with sweet oils, and
handsomely ornamented jars of unguents.
The cedars of Lebanon have been famous throughout the ages. Cedar was used
by King Solomon in the construction of the temple; oil of cedar was used
to coat papyrus manuscripts to protect them from insects in the time of
the Roman Emperor Augustus, and today cedar is sprayed in wardrobes to
keep moths away.
The Phoenicians of Syria were the traders or salesman of antiquity.
Aromatic gums brought overland from China were bought by Europeans who
could afford them. Possession of the sweet-smelling herbs was evidence of
wealth. It was prestigious to wear perfume, and owners of large amounts of
oils and unguents were greatly respected.
Linking the past and present of the perfume industry are the Arabs. The
process of extracting oils from flowers by means of distillation, (the
procedure most commonly used today), was developed by Avicenna, the
Arabian doctor unto was also a chemist. He first experimented with the
rose. Until his discovery, liquid perfumes were mixtures of oil and
crushed herbs, or petals which made a strong blend. Rose water was more
delicate, and immediately became popular.
During the reign of Catherine de Medici in France perfumes flourished.
Catherine brought her own perfumer, Rene le Florentin from Italy, with
her. His laboratory was connected with her apartments by a secret
passageway, so that no formulas could be stolen en route.
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