The journey of perfumes from ancient Mesopotamia to modern-day France
"A woman who doesn't wear perfume has no future,” said Coco Chanel, the renowned French fashion designer and businesswoman. While her statement might is an exaggeration for sure, your fragrance does impact how you feel, and others perceive you. Do you know the origin of the word perfume? Well, it is derived from the Latin phrase "per fumus," which means "by the smoke." Later on, the French used the word "parfum" to describe the scent released by lit incense.
Perfumes are mostly oil extracts from herbs, flowers, leaves, stalks, roots, or fruits, and are being used by humans since the ancient times. They have been applied on the skin and used in soaps, cosmetics, deodorants, and aroma candles. Today, let’s trace the journey of these fragrant companions of us, humans, through ages
Perfumes in the Mesopotamian civilization
The use of perfumes goes back to the Mesopotamian civilization in 4000 BC. The oldest of them have been discovered by archaeologists in Cyprus. The perfume-maker Tapputi, also known as Tapputi-Belatekallim, is said to be the world’s first known chemist. The term “Belatekallim” refers to a female superintendent of a palace. It is believed that Tapputi prepared perfumes in a cuneiform tablet from Babylonian Mesopotamia, around 3000 BC.
Perfumes in ancient Egypt
It may surprise you that ancient Egyptians worshipped the God Nefertem (depicted carrying water lilies, a common ingredient in perfumes then) as the lord of perfume. By condensing natural substances with unscented oils, the Egyptians extracted floral, woody, and fruity fragrances and employed them in religious ceremonies. In fact, incense and myrrh trading were prime foreign exchanges in those days.
Perfumes in Persia
The ancient Persians were also not far behind. They manufactured, scented, and flavor-infused fluids throughout the Sassanid era (224–651 BC). Perfumes not only held a prominent position in Persian society, but Persian rulers had their own "signature perfumes" that only they could use and no one else. Imagine the royalty of fragrances! This is depicted in the images of King Darius of Persepolis (522 BCE) clutching his incense or perfume bottles and also in the images of King Xerxes (486 to 465 BC), who is shown with blooms of lily of the valley used in perfumes.
Perfumery in Europe
In Europe, the process of distillation was discovered by the Greeks (480-323 B.C). It is used till date in perfumery. The art and science of making perfumes, it is believed, spread from ancient Greece to Rome. With the development of the Silk Road (a network of Eurasian trade routes operational from the 2nd century BCE to the mid-15th century), there began exchange of ingredients used in perfumery. Europeans first used fragrances owing to their perceived healing properties. However, after the fall of the Roman empire, the art of perfumery was lost to Europeans. It continued to thrive in Asian and the Middle Eastern countries. When Europeans came to the Middle East on the crusade wars, they brought back that knowledge with them.
The first modern perfume, known as Hungary Water throughout Europe, was made in 1370 under the direction of Queen Elizabeth of Hungary. It comprised of scented oils mixed in an alcohol solution.
In the 16th century, France became the centre of perfumery in Europe. Louis XIV was known as the Perfumed King. In fact, till date, some of the most-expensive perfumes are made in France!