from http://www.museodelperfume.com/
An Italian archaeologists team discovered an ancient perfume factory from Bronze Age in Cyprus
The perfumery was found on a hillside overlooking the Mediterranean at Pyrgos-Mavroraki. The experts believe that this perfumery, of 4,000 years of antiquity, used to produce fragrances for the Eastern Mediterranean export trade. The archaeologists also think that probably this factory was part of a building complex, similar to an industrial estate. It included an olive press, a winery and copper smelting works.
The scientists reconstituted twelve different perfumes from traces of scents found in dozens of clay bottles. It has been possible to extract laurel, cinnamon, anise, citrus bergamot and myrtle essences. Probably these fragrances were derived from local plants and then they were mixed with olive oil.
This factory was the centre of a prosperous export business because of the scale of the site and the presence of big jars to storage 500 litre oil. Crete was the most important island in world perfume market.
The scented oils were used in religious ceremonies and funerary rituals and they were often very expensive in antiquity. According to the Roman historian Pliny "the Elder" (A.D.23-79) in Historia Naturalis, Cyprus was the earliest source of some of the most popular perfumes in the ancient world and he described the composition of various fragrances that coincide with the aromas discovered.
An earthquake destroyed this interesting complex but at the same time it has helped to preserve many of its artefacts that recent excavations have just discovered. The seism it is now expected to unlock ancient secrets about the sophisticated production methods.
An Italian archaeologists team discovered an ancient perfume factory from Bronze Age in Cyprus
The perfumery was found on a hillside overlooking the Mediterranean at Pyrgos-Mavroraki. The experts believe that this perfumery, of 4,000 years of antiquity, used to produce fragrances for the Eastern Mediterranean export trade. The archaeologists also think that probably this factory was part of a building complex, similar to an industrial estate. It included an olive press, a winery and copper smelting works.
The scientists reconstituted twelve different perfumes from traces of scents found in dozens of clay bottles. It has been possible to extract laurel, cinnamon, anise, citrus bergamot and myrtle essences. Probably these fragrances were derived from local plants and then they were mixed with olive oil.
This factory was the centre of a prosperous export business because of the scale of the site and the presence of big jars to storage 500 litre oil. Crete was the most important island in world perfume market.
The scented oils were used in religious ceremonies and funerary rituals and they were often very expensive in antiquity. According to the Roman historian Pliny "the Elder" (A.D.23-79) in Historia Naturalis, Cyprus was the earliest source of some of the most popular perfumes in the ancient world and he described the composition of various fragrances that coincide with the aromas discovered.
An earthquake destroyed this interesting complex but at the same time it has helped to preserve many of its artefacts that recent excavations have just discovered. The seism it is now expected to unlock ancient secrets about the sophisticated production methods.
