If you’ve ever wondered what kind of perfumes the ancient Romans used, now you might have your answer.
A trio of researchers from the University of Cordoba and the Museum of the City of Carmona have published the results of their research on a 2019 discovery from a Roman tomb in the Spanish province of Seville: a pot of rock crystal ointment sealed with a cap to protect a solid substance inside.
“To our knowledge,” write the authors of the paperpublished in the journal Heritage“this is perhaps the first time that a perfume from Roman times has been identified.”
They subjected the substance and the plug to techniques such as X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, which revealed that the substance contains hydrocarbons, sesquiterpenes (naturally present in plants and insects) and vegetable fat.
The smell? Probably patchouli, that musty love-it-or-hate-it aroma you probably remember from your college dorm.
The Roman mausoleum where the ointment pot was found in a lead container in a wall niche. Courtesy of Juan Manuel Román.
The pot was kept in an egg-shaped lead case stored in a niche in the wall, containing bones, amber beads and the ointment pot. Quartz jars were objects of great luxury, according to the authors.
What makes the new discovery distinctive is that while previous researchers found many containers containing perfumes or ointments, their contents remained a mystery, say the authors, who point out that what was known was mainly about the ointment or base, rather than the scented essence itself. The dolomite cap on the pot is also unique, the authors report.
The discovery was made after the renovation of a building n Seville revealed the well-preserved Roman mausoleum.
The Roman mausoleum. Courtesy of Juan Manuel Román.
Humans have used perfume for 5,000 years, starting with the ancient Egyptians and then Greece and Rome, where perfume was made in industrial quantities, the researchers said. The Romans used perfumes in everyday life as well as in ceremonies such as funerals, to embalm the dead.
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