A perfume-like fragrance used by the Egyptian queen Cleopatra to make everyone fall in love with her has been recreated using a combination of historical recipes, chemical analysis and trial and error.
Egypt was famous for the scents it produced in the ancient world. They had been working in this field for at least 3,000 years during the time of Cleopatra VII, and they were quite successful. Shortly after her death, historical writings were written with recipes attributed to the recently deceased queen. Scientists 2,000 years later tried to replicate the process and evidence, describing their work in the journal Near East Archeology.
“The basis of [Egyptian] perfumes and ointments was vegetable oil or animal fat rather than our modern alcohol,” the article states. The article continues: “Scents were created through smoke from the burning of fragrant resins, bark, and herbs (“perfume” derives from the words per fumum, “through smoke”), or by infusing resins, flowers, herbs, spices, and wood. ”
However, the full meaning of the hieroglyphs in which these descriptions were recorded has been lost over time. We know the names of the oils used in funeral and temple rites in Cleopatra’s time, but their composition was unknown until now. While Greek and Roman records are easier to translate, they are considered less reliable, as their authors were often foreigners rather than perfume makers, despite centuries of Greek and Roman rule. In these articles, it is discussed that there is a material called “perfume nut oil”, although it is not known what it is.
However, new opportunities arose with the discovery of what appeared to be a perfume factory on Thmouis. Thmouis was an extension of Mendes, whose perfumes were famous in the Mediterranean. The ceramic perfume containers, which are abundant in this area, are thought to have been used by archaeologists for commercial purposes rather than domestic needs.
Molecules found in the vessels were analyzed using X-ray, including the Nile sand used to make the vessels and residues in the contents. Combining historical texts and modern chemistry, authors from Frele Universitat Berlin, Dr. Dora Goldsmith and Humboldt-Universitat zu Berlin’s Dr. Sean Coughlin tested a number of potential ingredients in hopes of discovering a scent so seductive that a monarch could risk half an empire. Using a variety of ingredients and cooking methods, the duo managed to gain some insights: “A blend of variables produced an extremely pleasant scent accompanied by sweetness and a spicy base note of freshly ground myrrh and cinnamon. It is also consistent with reports that Egyptian perfumes retain their quality while being transported. The attractive scent lasted for two years.”
Cleopatra’s exact perfume will probably never be confirmed; because its content is still not fully known. But at least now we have an idea of what it might look like.
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