Tours: Perfume

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Sniff your way through the ancient Greeks' perfume making process, and learn about the importance of scented oils.

Opening RemarksPerfumeGathering MaterialsExtractionBoiling and MacerationPerfume Markets

• Markos: Ah, my friend! I see you've followed your nose to this lovely... perfumery? Perfum-yard? Perfactory?

("Who are you?")

• Markos: Why, I'm Markos, of course! Only one of the most successful merchants in all of Greece. You really haven't heard of me? My name is known from Kephallonia to Kos! If you've ever paid money for something, I probably received a percentage. But enough about me. Let's go back to what you're doing here.

("What do you think of this place?")

• Markos: A word of advice from a former perfume peddler: Never start your sales with: "You smell like you could use some perfume". It has a surprisingly low success-rate.

("Let's begin the tour.")

• Markos: This scent-uous little island is where perfume was produced. Your nostrils are in for a treat! Unless you're allergic. In which case I could sell you a wonderful remedy for a very reasonable price. No? OK then! I'll check in on you at the end of your visit. See you soon, my friend!

Red-figure lekythos (oil flash) with scene of Aphrodite and Adonis, accompanied by Eros and a woman / 410 BCE (Classical Greece)

Perfume-making techniques were invented and perfected in Mesopotamia and Egypt beginning in the 4th millennium BCE.

By the time of the Mycenaean era, perfume played an important role in the Greek economy.

Mostly reserved for kings, priests, and aristocrats in the beginning, it later became more widely available during the Classical and Hellenistic periods.

Greeks used perfume for more than just personal cosmetics. It also had sacred uses.

For example, cults would sometimes anoint their god's statue with perfume, and it was also used during rituals like weddings and funerals.

Food and wine could also be scented with perfume to add to a meal's presentation.

The art of making perfume was part of medicine and pharmacology, and physicians devoted entire books listing the best perfume recipes.

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Many myths involve fragrances and perfumes.

One story tells of Phaon, a ferryman from Lesbos who gave a free ride to an old woman revealed to be Aphrodite in disguise. As a reward for his kindness, Aphrodite gave Phaon a special rejuvenating ointment that, when used, would turn him into the most beautiful man alive.

In another story, when Aphrodite wept over the loss of her love Adonis, the fragrant purple anemone flower sprang forth from either her tears or Adonis's blood.

Narcissus print / 1805 (Modern period)

Perfume is made up of two main components:

A greasy substance—called an excipient—like vegetable oil or animal fat, and an odorous substance, such as flowers and plants.

For Ancient Greeks, the most common excipient was olive oil.

According to Theophrastos, however, the most valuable oils were those extracted from nuts in the Syrian and Egyptian deserts.

The odorous ingredient could be taken from a variety of sources.

These include flowers like roses or lilies, herbs like oregano, spices like saffron, resins like amber, and leaves from plants.

Some fragrances were also imported from outside of Greece, like Indian cinnamon, and Syrian frankincense.

These exotic scents were considered exceptionally precious.

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Perfumes were named after either their contents, their place of origin, or their inventor. Some, like rose perfume, were pure oils, but most were compound ointments made up of many materials—though these could still be named after their main ingredient.

The perfume called "Panathenaium" came from Athens, while the perfume called "Mendesian" was named after the Mendes region of Egypt. Ephesus perfumery, meanwhile, was held in very high esteem, especially the "Megallion", named after its maker, Megallos.

Aryballos in the form of a helmeted head / 600-575 BCE (Archaic Greece)

Mixing scent into the fatty excipient was called enfleurage, of which there were two methods.

If the flower being used for the scent was fragile, the preferred method of extraction was cold enfleurage, which required an oil soaked cloth.

First, the cloth was rubbed against the flower's petals, saturating the oil with the scent.

Then, the cloth was pressed to wring out the scented oil.

Hot enfleurage involved heating the excipient before mixing in the scented substance.

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In ancient Greece, perfumers were called myrepsoi or myropolai. Perfume making was considered to be a vile job, thus the public held them in very low esteem. The Athenian statesmen Solon even promoted a law in the 6th century BCE that forbid men from selling perfumes, in an effort to prevent men from engaging in activities deemed more appropriate for women.

Nevertheless, perfumers had ties to Greece's upper classes. Their work was lucrative, as the wealthy were always willing to spend large sums on exotic aromas. Some perfumers made so much money that they were able to turn their perfumeries into opulent places of business.

Red-figure alabastron (perfume vase) depicting women holding a plemochoe (another perfume vase) / 440 BCE (Classical Greece)

The hot enfleurage process consisted of heating and distillation.

After the scented ingredients were dipped into heated oil, the mixture was then filtered before being pressed and decanted.

Once the mixture was complete, spices, coloring agents, and fixatives were added, along with preservatives to prevent the perfume from spoiling.

Finally, the liquid was hermetically sealed in bottles, ready to be shipped to market.

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The perfumer's workshop was hardly distinguishable from an Ancient Greek kitchen; It was full of fireplaces and pots, mortars to grind ingredients, and funnels to help fill perfume bottles. The workshops were usually situated in or around the city's agora.

According to both archaeological evidence and literary testimonies, the island of Delos once had a large perfume industry. The island was home to many different types of people, including a Jewish community from Babylon and Sabeans from Arabia, and was also very active in the spice trade. These factors, along with others, most likely provided Delos with a variety of ingredients and scents for perfumes.

Terracotta Korinthian aryballos depicting swan between two sphinxes / 620-590 BCE (Archaic Greece)

Perfume was usually bottled in ceramic or glass flasks, but more luxurious fragrances were contained in ornamented and painted flasks.

Lekythioi and alabastra were elegant bottles designed for women, while aryballoi were used by athletes.

It was common for the bottles' craftsmen to brand them to prevent frauds and knock-offs.

Perfume shops were usually located in city centers, befitting of their importance.

In addition to selling perfume, they were also sometimes used as meeting places.

For example, the perfume shops near Athens's agora were frequented every morning by the city's youth.

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Perfuming was common at Greek parties and other special occasions.

During special drinking parties known as symposia, men anointed their heads with perfume. They believed this enabled them to drink more wine without feeling any of the ill effects of drunkenness. They also used aromatics like honey and myrrh to improve the taste of the wine.

Similarly, perfume played an important role in wedding ceremonies. Perfume bottles were included in the gifts the bride received the day after the wedding, and a pleasing scent was the sign of a good future for the couple.

Petals and ScentsClosing Remarks

Fragment of funerary (or votive)

The main purpose of perfume was to attract members of both the opposite and the same sex.

We can trace this practice back to a scene in "The Iliad", where Hera used perfume to seduce Zeus.

Similarly, hymns about goddesses like Demeter and Aphrodite always mentioned their pleasant smell, further solidifying the belief that scent and seduction went hand in hand.

However, perfume was also a mark of social status.

Athletes covered themselves in perfumed oils during their training and at symposia, and citizens were judged based on how anointed, shiny, and perfumed their bodies were.

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During the Classical period, perfumes became more affordable for the majority of citizens. While exotic and precious perfumes were still expensive, there were also cheaper varieties made from mostly local ingredients. As a result, a hierarchy of perfumes was created based on rarity of ingredients and complexity of production.

City women distinguished themselves from country women by the amount of money they spent on perfumes. Some men, meanwhile, were against the idea of perfume altogether, and believed its use was a sign of effeminacy. Notably, the famous philosopher Sokrates refused to use perfume, believing it was only fit for women.

• Markos: Hello again, my friend! I hope you see now how important perfume was not only for aesthetic purposes, but for Greek social hierachy. I wouldn't charge so much for my own bottles if I didn't know the value of what I was selling. What else can Markos do for you?

("I'm ready for the quiz.") ("Take on the next suggested tour.") ("Take me on a random tour.") ([LEAVE] "That's all for now.")

• Markos: If you say so, but I have a feeling we'll run into each other again soon. Farewell!