Revealed the secret of the mysterious ancient Roman perfume

It has long been known that in the Roman Empire peoplespirits were actively used. Moreover, the Romans used perfume not only in everyday life, as people do now, but also on special occasions, such as funerals. Smelling ointments were necessarily used when embalming the dead. Sometimes a bottle of perfume or odorous ointment was also placed in the tomb of the deceased. Moreover, the flask was tightly sealed, which means that perfumes were used not to interrupt unpleasant odors, but as an accessory for the deceased, such as jewelry or household items. It was thanks to this that scientists first managed to find out how the perfume of the Romans smelled and what ingredients they used to make them.

Archaeologists have discovered a full bottle of sealed perfume that was made 2,000 years ago in ancient Rome.

Rare archaeological find in an ancient Roman tomb

During the archaeological excavations carried outon the territory of modern Carmona, a city in Spain, which is part of the province of Seville, scientists stumbled upon a tomb. Its age, according to scientists, is about 2000 years. Apparently, in the first century, members of a wealthy family were buried in it.

In a glass urn containing the ashes of a woman who died inaged 30-40 years, scientists discovered a mysterious ointment in an unusual bottle. It was made from rock crystal. This mineral is pure natural silicon dioxide, one of the varieties of quartz. The flask was carved in the shape of an amphora.

According to the researchers, the vial is veryrare and was a luxury item, as it was extremely expensive at one time. Usually perfume containers in those days were made of blown glass, less often they were made of copper. Therefore, the discovery of the carved bottle was very valuable in itself.

Scientists have discovered ancient spirits in the urn with the ashes of a rich woman

But even more unusual was that the vialwas tightly sealed and contained a hardened mass inside. The plug was made of dolomite and covered with a bituminous seal. It was thanks to the fact that the bottle was perfectly sealed 2000 years ago that scientists were able to establish how its contents smelled.

I must say that archaeologists have previously foundmany bottles that were once used to store perfumes or odorous ointments. However, they were all empty, so it was impossible to establish the chemical composition of the perfume until the last moment. Therefore, this study was the first time that scientists were able to identify the composition of such ancient spirits.

A carved flacon made of rock crystal, which contained ancient perfumes

What were perfumes made in Ancient Rome?

To find out what the ancient spirits were made of,scientists used several research methods at once: X-ray diffraction, gas chromatography, and mass spectrometry. As it turned out, the mass contained in its composition the essential oil of patchouli. It is widely used in modern perfumery, but it was a discovery for scientists that it was used for perfumes in the Roman Empire.

The patchouli plant used to make perfume in ancient Rome

This essential oil is obtained from a shrubtropical plant of Indian origin, called Pogostemon (Pogostemon cablin, or Pogostemon patchouly). The plant grows in tropical climates. In addition to the essential oil, scientists also found in the composition of vegetable oil, which was the basis. The researchers report this in the journal Heritage. In terms of composition, the contents were more of an eau de toilette than a perfume.

Most likely used as a basisolive oil, but scientists are not sure until when. Next to the vessel is a cloth bag containing amber beads. Researchers report that priceless artifacts were in the tomb, where there were several more urns with the remains of its other members.

Archaeologists have previously found many perfume bottles from the ancient Roman era, but they were all empty.

It must be said that the study of the smells of ancient perfumeshas long attracted researchers, and perfumers even try to reproduce them. A few years ago, we talked about the Odeuropa project, in which scientists recreate ancient smells. True, we are talking about a medieval perfume, the composition of which is often contained in ancient records. As for the ancient Roman perfume, no information about it previously existed.

Follow the link to our YANDEX.ZEN CHANNEL. We have prepared for you a lot of interesting, exciting materials dedicated to science.

Now, thanks to a new study, we knowthat the Romans liked the smell of patchouli. Most likely this is not the only perfume smell that existed in the Roman Empire. Let's hope that someday scientists will be able to detect and identify other types of perfume. In the meantime, let us finally recall that scientists recently discovered an ancient necropolis right in the center of Paris. This burial is also about 2000 years old.