Roman Perfume

• Perfume was widely used by the Ancient Egyptians, the Ancient Greeks and across the Roman Empire.
• Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love, was associated with Perfume.

The Uses of Perfume

• The Temples used large quantities of perfume as Incense and often had perfume workshops nearby.
• The Romans used Perfumes in their Bathhouses.
• Perfume was also worn by Royal Families, the Aristocracy and by Politicians.
• Perfumes were used in Medicine.

Manufacture

• It was a very expensive commodity because many of the ingredients were sourced from outside the Mediterranean Sea.
• The earliest known perfume workshop was excavated on Cyprus, and dates back to 1,850 BCE.
• Perfume workshops existed all over the Roman Empire.

Ancient Sources

Theophrastus (370-285 BCE)

• The Greek Philosopher wrote ‘On Odours’.
• He gives a complete description on the manufacture and ingredients for making perfume.

Pliny the Elder (23-79 CE)

• The Roman Statesman wrote about Perfume in his Natural History.
• He gives a detailed account of perfume making and its ingredients.

The Ingredients

1. Unlike today where alcohol is the carrier, the ancient world used oil, usually a superior Olive Oil, but they also used almond oil.
2. Into this would be added the flowers, resins, seeds, wood, leaves, gums and Roman Spices.
3. To make very expensive perfumes, the following ingredients were then ground up and dissolved into the oil either by heating or kneading:
   • Frankincense
   • Myrrh
   • Labdanum
   • Storax
   • Malabathrum
     • (known to us as Cinnamon)
   • Resin of Balsam trees
     • Balm of Gilead