World's Oldest 4000-Year-Old Perfume Factory Is Discovered & Antique Cypriot Perfumes Are Reconstituted {The 5th Sense in the News}
Here's a new travel destination for perfume lovers:
"The world's oldest perfumes have been found on Cyprus by a team of archaeologists.
The perfumes were scented with extracts of lavender, bay, rosemary, pine or coriander and kept in tiny translucent alabaster bottles. The remaining traces found in Pyrgos, on the south of the island, are more than 4,000 years old".....
Eau de BC The Oldest Perfume In The World in The Telegraph
• Four perfumes from the archaeological site were re-created and named Hera, Athena, Aphrodite and Artemis.....
"It's a rare chance to smell the scent of ancient history -- typically a mix of natural spices and olive oil -- thanks to an exhibit in Rome featuring fragrances from the world's oldest known perfume factory.
On display are four perfumes re-created by a team of archeologists from 14 original fragrances dating from 4,000 years ago. Digging at the Pyrgos-Mavroraki site in Cyprus, they turned up a complex believed to have been used as a perfume lab".....
Perfume Lab Offers Whiff Of Antiquity in the Chicago Tribune
Chere Marie-Helene,
I am tempted to delve into my book on Greece - and research this little known - but all too important discovery.
And I thought the Egyptians had it over all the other ancient societies. Wonder if Helen of Troy used any of this ?
Great reading .. this kind of post truly imspired me
Hmm, a strong pine note?? Not in the post Pine-Sol era! But lavender, coriander and myrtle sounds like an intriguing combination. If they were made with olive oil, their longevity probably wasn't the best. Maybe they could be remade with jojoba? The museum should make and market these as a fundraiser. Any chance of wheedling recipes out of the museum??
Dear Madelyn,
Since this is a new discovery, you will find perhaps some articles, but not yet a book.
A Helen of Troy perfume would be very evocative.
Masha,
A worthwhile endeavor:) I don't know, one would need to try contacting them.