Perfume With Its Mysterious Roots
The very word perfume conjures memorable imagery for us all, yet the word originates from the Latin meaning through smoke, which gave rise to the term per fumus, later changed to perfume. In France, parfum was the name for the scented smoke exuded by burning incense. The early application of scented oils is rooted in Mesopotamia over four thousand years ago when a mixture of oils, aromatic woods and resins were used in combination.
When the wood was burnt at religious ceremonies the fragrant smoke was released. People began fragrancing their skin with the scented oils and thus the first fragrance was introduced to the world. Almost one thousand years later Queen Hatshepsut would lead expeditions to recover trees from which resins and fragrant woods could be harvested for the making of incense, which became popular in Egypt thanks to her efforts.
Originally exclusively used in the domain of the priesthood, scented oils were soon incorporated into the bathing ritual. People soaked in fragrant oils and created wax cones and creams heavily scented with rare resins which were liberally applied to skin and hair. It was the Greeks that first created liquid fragrances much like the ones that we use today.
Deliciously scented oils contained hints of ginger, cedar, frankincense, myrrh, cassia, ginger, pepper and jasmine. The artistry of the scent bottle came into being. Containers were made from alabaster and gold and were known as alabastrums. These early scents were made from fragrant powders mixed into oils such as almond and olive oil, but contained no alcohol.
The Egyptians took the decoration of the scent bottle to new heights, using ebony, porcelain, glass, gold, alabaster and stone, often decorated with gems or lacquer work. These containers and their contents were highly prized. Perfume spread across the globe, being adopted for use by the Phoenicians, the Chinese and the Arabs who first extracted the scented oils from blossoms via the distillation process.
We owe the invention of modern fragrance to the innovative Arab doctor Avicenna, who introduced and perfected the distillation process. He chose the rose for its delicate scent, much more subtle than traditional herbs used in the past. It gained popularity with astonishing speed and rose is still a popular addition to scents used today.
Catherine de Medici had a hand in influencing perfume as we know it today, enlisting the aid of an Italian perfumer to create original infusions for her. Scented gloves became popular in the seventeenth century and it is reported that when Cleopatra first sailed out to meet Marc Anthony that she used perfumed sails, which announced her arrival with clouds of perfumed air.
Scent is a powerful tool that can impress memories upon us. Many people will tell you that the smell of pine trees always remind them of Christmas mornings, or that a particular fragrance will always hold a fond memory of their mother or grandmother for them. Many people reserve a particularly treasured fragrance for special occasions and will wear it for momentous occasions only, impressing upon us the fact that we still consider perfume as precious and rare.
When the wood was burnt at religious ceremonies the fragrant smoke was released. People began fragrancing their skin with the scented oils and thus the first fragrance was introduced to the world. Almost one thousand years later Queen Hatshepsut would lead expeditions to recover trees from which resins and fragrant woods could be harvested for the making of incense, which became popular in Egypt thanks to her efforts.
Originally exclusively used in the domain of the priesthood, scented oils were soon incorporated into the bathing ritual. People soaked in fragrant oils and created wax cones and creams heavily scented with rare resins which were liberally applied to skin and hair. It was the Greeks that first created liquid fragrances much like the ones that we use today.
Deliciously scented oils contained hints of ginger, cedar, frankincense, myrrh, cassia, ginger, pepper and jasmine. The artistry of the scent bottle came into being. Containers were made from alabaster and gold and were known as alabastrums. These early scents were made from fragrant powders mixed into oils such as almond and olive oil, but contained no alcohol.
The Egyptians took the decoration of the scent bottle to new heights, using ebony, porcelain, glass, gold, alabaster and stone, often decorated with gems or lacquer work. These containers and their contents were highly prized. Perfume spread across the globe, being adopted for use by the Phoenicians, the Chinese and the Arabs who first extracted the scented oils from blossoms via the distillation process.
We owe the invention of modern fragrance to the innovative Arab doctor Avicenna, who introduced and perfected the distillation process. He chose the rose for its delicate scent, much more subtle than traditional herbs used in the past. It gained popularity with astonishing speed and rose is still a popular addition to scents used today.
Catherine de Medici had a hand in influencing perfume as we know it today, enlisting the aid of an Italian perfumer to create original infusions for her. Scented gloves became popular in the seventeenth century and it is reported that when Cleopatra first sailed out to meet Marc Anthony that she used perfumed sails, which announced her arrival with clouds of perfumed air.
Scent is a powerful tool that can impress memories upon us. Many people will tell you that the smell of pine trees always remind them of Christmas mornings, or that a particular fragrance will always hold a fond memory of their mother or grandmother for them. Many people reserve a particularly treasured fragrance for special occasions and will wear it for momentous occasions only, impressing upon us the fact that we still consider perfume as precious and rare.
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