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The History of Fragrance
- by Perfumez Direct
The beginning of the fragrance world started over 5,000 years ago!
The word perfume derives from the Latin perfumare, meaning "to smoke through". Perfumery, as the art of making perfumes,
The word perfume derives from the Latin perfumare, meaning "to smoke through". Perfumery, as the art of making perfumes, began in ancient around 3000 BC, this is the earliest documented cases of fragrance can be found.
Began in ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt, or maybe Ancient China, and was further refined by the Romans and the Arabs.
According to Ancient Egypt Online, Nefertum was considered to be the god of perfume and the Egyptians associated fragrances with good health and well-being.
Susinum, Cyprinum, and Mendesian were the most popular sought after perfumes of their time.
The first perfume bottle was used by the Egyptians around 1000 BC. With the invention of glass, it was much easier to store perfumes around this time period.
Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia is the area between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.
The area is now home to what we consider the Middle East which comprises of mostly Iraq, Syria, and parts of Iran.
Here is where the first documented perfumer/chemist was found and her name was Tapputi.
The proof was found inscribed on a Cuneiform tablet and was dated 1200 BC.
Other Civilizations
More civilizations would jump on the bandwagon when it came to fragrances.
After the Egyptians, the Chinese, Israelites, Arabs, Greeks, Romans, and Carthaginians were next in line to use perfumes.
India
The Indus Valley Civilization was also some of the early users of perfume. These guys hung out from 3300-1300 BC.
Essential oils were the main topic of focus for these guys.
Cyprus
Known as Aphrodite's Island, Cyprus is the home to the oldest perfumery ever discovered.
Around 1850 BC, the buildings were destroyed in an earthquake but enough proof of a perfume factory was preserved for archeologists to make the discovery.
If you make your way to Rome, you'll see some of the ancient artifacts on display.
The History of Fragrance by Perfumez Direct
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