Heavenly scents, aromas of the past: Perfumes & aromatics in Mediterranean antiquity.
Snoeck/Henri Prades Museum/LabEx Archimedes.| N° d'inventaire | 31026 |
| Format | 22.5 x 28 |
| Détails | 168 p., numerous photographs and color illustrations, paperback. |
| Publication | Gent, 2024 |
| Etat | Nine |
| ISBN | 9789461619068 |
In ancient Latin, Egyptian, or Greek, there is no word for perfume. The terms used, which could have both positive and negative connotations, instead mean odor. Based on the archaeological and historical documentation that has come down to us, the exhibition will present the aromatic substances used during Antiquity in Egypt, Greece, and Etruria. Aromatics were then used as much in medicine as in perfumery, and curative, medicinal, and ritual properties were attributed to them. Even if these substances, mainly ointments, had become necessary for personal hygiene, even for seduction, the fact remains that they were first used in ritual practices. It is this olfactory history of Mediterranean Antiquity that visitors will be able to discover through around a hundred works and innovative sensory devices.
In ancient Latin, Egyptian, or Greek, there is no word for perfume. The terms used, which could have both positive and negative connotations, instead mean odor. Based on the archaeological and historical documentation that has come down to us, the exhibition will present the aromatic substances used during Antiquity in Egypt, Greece, and Etruria. Aromatics were then used as much in medicine as in perfumery, and curative, medicinal, and ritual properties were attributed to them. Even if these substances, mainly ointments, had become necessary for personal hygiene, even for seduction, the fact remains that they were first used in ritual practices. It is this olfactory history of Mediterranean Antiquity that visitors will be able to discover through around a hundred works and innovative sensory devices.