Historical Scents

Egypt five thousand years ago, from 3000 – 322 B.C., was the wonder of the world. Its treasures are fabulous and still being discovered. No other early civilization has bequeathed riches on such a grand scale.

In her book Sacred Luxuries, Lise Manniche, professor of Egyptology at the University of Copenhagen, focuses on the use of fragrance and cosmetics in ancient Egypt. It is a lavishly illustrated "must have" treasure trove of knowledge, enjoyment and inspiration.

Visionaries in the industry will find it contains nuggets of information that can be translated into marketing concepts. Significant in this respect is the importance of the lotus flower.

Declaring that the pale blue lotus, Nymphea Caerulea Savigny, was the most popular of all flowers depicted in Egyptian art, the author says the closed flower has no scent, but at the first rays of the sun it bursts open to reveal its intricate lancet-shaped petals and release a hyacinth-like scent.Remarkably, at noon, it closes to a bud, sinks into the water and reappears the following day. Equally mystical is the white lotus, which flowers during the night.

Lise Manniche comments, "In view of the fact that people are represented sniffing lotus flowers as early as the time of the pyramid builders, we are faced with a practice that could well date back to the dawn of civilization. At a time when man’s senses had not yet been pampered with products obtained through distillation, not to mention modern artificial preparations, sensitivity to natural scents must have been even more acute. When an Egyptian buried his nose in a lotus flower, and perhaps kept it there for a while, the effect on him may well have been considerable, and the scent may have been sufficient to achieve an alteration of his consciousness."

Although not considered exotic or magical, the roses Rosa Gallica and Rosa Ricardii were widely cultivated and prized in pharaonic times. The book offers ancient recipes for producing rose and other oils and mentions their therapeutic properties. It is interesting that camel grass, thought to be related to lemon grass and ginger grass, should, when cut or cleft, incline to a purple colour and smell sweet like a rose when rubbed between the hands.

Quoting Dioscoridos, the Greek herbalist who recorded for posterity the ingredients and recipes used by Egyptian perfumers, Lise Manniche reports how camel grass was employed in the creation of rose perfume: "Bruise the camel grass, macerate it in water, boil it, stirring it up and down, and strain it into the oil (i.e. green olive oil, according to Pliny). Throw in the not wet rose petals (i.e. free from dew) and, with your hands anointed in honey, stir them up and down, squeezing them gently every now and then. Leave them overnight, then squeeze them out." There is more to it than that – see page 79!

Discover, too, in detail, the classical perfumes-cum-antidotes of ancient times, Kyphi and Tiryac, to which a whole chapter of the book is devoted.

Perfumers may also find inspiration in the "Recipes for Luxury" chapter which dwells on other classical scents, such as Susinum (lily), Irinium (iris) and The Egyptian, which incorporated cinnamon and myrrh steeped in wine. Hardly possible these days, but how about a limited edition collectors’ item at $10,000 a bottle? Consider also the lotus, lily and Cinnamominum (cinnamon and cassia oils) in this respect and make use of the hieroglyphics on page 152.

Gradually, the book instills the thought that perfumes and cosmetics restore vitality and health, as well as enhance the wearer’s sexuality. Shiseido has successfully launched the fragrance, Relaxing. Would we not also like to zip and zoom with Zest?

– M. A. Murray-Pearce

Sacred Luxuries: Fragrance, Aromatherapy and Cosmetics in Ancient Egypt is published by Cornell University Press, Sage House, 512 E. State Street, Ithaca, New York 14830 (ISBN 0-8014-3720-2) and by Opus Publishing Limited, 36 Camden Square, London NW1 9XA (ISBN 0-95355460-0-0).