Contrary to common belief today, perfume was not always associated with romance, mystery, fantasy or imagination. In fact, the word itself does not have a meaning that conveys any of these. Perfume comes from the latin words per, meaning “through” and fumus, meaning “smoke”. The word perfume was created by the French, who gave the name to the scent produced by burning incense.
The first records of perfume are in 4000BC in Mesopotamia, when scents were created by burning varieties of resin and wood for religious rituals. One thousand years later, perfume by the burning of incense made its way to Egypt through religious ceremonies, however it was only during Egypt’s Golden Age that perfume became available for the citizens since priests yielded their exclusive rights to fragrance.
It is rumoured that Cleopatra was a huge fan of fragrance and even greeted Marc Anthony with perfumed sails when she became the Queen of Egypt, after Julius Caesar’s assassination. It also is said that Ancient Egyptians would take extravagant baths and nourish their skin with scented oils, what is known as essence today. (See previous blog post on essence) Ancient Egyptians were the first to use perfume containers, which were made from stone and alabaster and were extremely ornate. (Pictured)
The first traces of liquid perfume, as it is known in today’s world, was in Ancient Greece, where it was developed through the process of distillation, a process perfected by the Arabs. This process allowed for perfume to be manufactured feasibly and in liquid form rather than the Egyptian’s earlier oil form.
There was a huge rise in the popularity of perfume in France during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries due to the bad hygiene practices, so perfume was widely used to mask unpleasant body odours. At the same time in England, during the reigns of Henry VIII and Queen Elizabeth I, perfume was also widely used. It is said that Queen Elizabeth I enforced that all places were scented because one of her biggest pet peeves was bad smell!
Be sure to check back in on Sunday for Part 2!
Source:
“The Story of Perfume.” Office for Science and Society, 10 July 2017, www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/history/story-perfume.
Photo via:
“Egyptian Perfume Bottle.” Ancient History Encyclopedia, Ancient History Encyclopedia, www.ancient.eu/image/6581/egyptian-perfume-bottle/.
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