Ancient History of Perfume

Although France is now considered the perfume capital of the world, Ancient Egyptians are believed to be the first people to have developed scents to be worn on the skin.

Over four thousand years ago,

Ancient Egyptians began mixing the scents derived from woods and plant with oil and rubbing them on skin for healing purposes as well as religious ceremonies about four thousand years ago. At first it was only the priests who maintained exclusive rights to perfumed oil and aromatics, but gradually the scents became available to all Egyptians.

The ancient Egyptians were absolutely fastidious in their personal grooming habits. It was not unusual for them to bathe three times a day. In addition to bathing, they began to produce creams and scented oils to protect themselves from the harsh sun as well as add a pleasing fragrance to themselves. In ancient Egypt, citizens were required to perfume themselves at least once a week. Bathing was a social function and most Egyptians enjoyed baths as a form of relaxation as well as socialization. Baths were often taken as a community function.

Perfumes were stored in bottles made from alabaster and gold. Ancient Egyptians even carried their perfumes with them in death. Not only were perfumes a source of embalming in ancient Egypt, but perfume bottles and urns were often placed in the tomb to accompany those to the afterlife.

Ancient Greek and Roman cultures learned the art of distilling fragrances from the Egyptians. In ancient Greek culture, a perfume shop was a common meeting place and ancient Greeks also took daily baths. Ancient Greeks are credited with making the first forms of liquid perfumes. When glass first appeared at around 1558 B.C., it was used in Egypt to store liquid perfume. The ancient Egyptians valued glass more than they did jewels and made the first elaborate perfume bottles in the world.

Perfume!

Credit: Unknown

Copyright: Michelle Williams