Seamus Hammond
Cleopatra, the Greek queen of ancient Egypt, was known for her love of perfumes. In 2012, archaeologists Robert Littman and Jay Silverstein from the University of Hawaii uncovered a perfume factory outside of Mendes in Egypt. With the help of experts, they were able to recreate a perfume using recipes found at the site that were written in Ancient Greek and Latin. The perfume, called Mendesian, was likely worn by Cleopatra and is now on display at the National Geographic Museum exhibit in Washington, D.C. The scent is said to be thicker and more concentrated than modern perfumes, with a strong, lingering odour. It is made from ingredients such as myrrh, cardamom, olive oil, cinnamon, date oil, and pine resin.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Recipe | Written in Ancient Greek nearly 2,000 years ago |
| Ingredients | Myrrh, cardamom, olive oil, cinnamon, date oil, pine resin, juniper berries, nut grass |
| Consistency | Thick and sticky, similar to olive oil |
| Scent | Pungent, sweet, heady |
| Longevity | Lingers on the skin for days |
| Discovery | Amphorae containing perfume residue found at an ancient perfume factory outside of Mendes, Egypt |
| Display | National Geographic exhibit in Washington, D.C. |
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What You'll Learn
Recreating Cleopatra's perfume
The recipe was first discovered in 2015, but it wasn't until 2019 that the fragrance was successfully recreated. The perfume is said to be much thicker and more concentrated than modern perfumes, with a consistency similar to olive oil. It also has a stronger scent that lingers on the body for much longer.
To create the perfume, ancient perfumers heated oil for 10 days and 10 nights before infusing it with certain woods, resins, barks, and herbs. Scents were also created by burning fragrant substances, a process known as "per fumum" or "through smoke," which is where the word "perfume" comes from.
The specific ingredients used in Cleopatra's perfume included myrrh, cardamom, olive oil, cinnamon, and possibly pine resin. Jasmine was also a scent associated with Cleopatra, as her handmaidens would scent her sails with jasmine to announce her presence. Cleopatra was also known to have her own perfume and cosmetics factory, where she used local ingredients such as olive trees and Dead Sea salts, as well as exotic and unusual plants and oils sourced from around the globe.
While it is unlikely that we will ever know the exact recipe for Cleopatra's perfume, the recreated scent provides a fascinating glimpse into the ancient world and the powerful queen's love of fragrance.
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Ingredients and their quantities
While it is hard to say with certainty what perfume Cleopatra wore, scientists have recreated a fragrance that she may have used. The recipe for this scent was discovered by archaeologists Robert Littman and Jay Silverstein from the University of Hawaiʻi. The recipe was found at an ancient perfume factory outside of Mendes, Egypt, and was written in Ancient Greek and Latin.
The perfume, called Mendesian after its place of production, was popular among the wealthy in Egypt and across the ancient world. It is said to be much more concentrated and longer-lasting than modern perfumes. The following ingredients were used to recreate the scent:
- Date oil
- Myrrh
- Cinnamon
- Pine resin
The recipe also called for the oil to be heated for 10 days and 10 nights before being infused with certain woods. The base of the perfume is likely vegetable oil and animal fat, rather than alcohol, which forms the base of most modern perfumes.
Other ingredients that may have been used in Cleopatra's perfumes include:
- Cardamom
- Olive oil
- Juniper berries
- Nut grass
- Jasmine
- Blue lotus
- Dead Sea salts
- Rose
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The process of making it
Recreating Cleopatra's perfume is no easy task. The process involves a lot of steps and a lot of ingredients, some of which are extremely rare.
Firstly, the oil needs to be heated for 10 days and 10 nights. This is a key step in the process, as it forms the base of the perfume. Vegetable oil and animal fat were used as a base in ancient Egyptian perfumes, instead of alcohol which is used as a base in most modern perfumes.
Next, the oil needs to be infused with certain woods and resins. This can include pine resin, which could come from pine or cedar trees. The perfume might also include juniper berries, cardamom, cinnamon, and nut grass. Some sources suggest that the perfume was made from freshly ground myrrh and cinnamon, creating a sweet and heady fragrance.
To add even more fragrance, flowers and herbs can be macerated, or steeped, to release their scents. Cleopatra had access to a bounty of flowers and plants, including olive trees and Dead Sea salts, which she could use in her perfumes. She also had people searching for exotic and unusual plants and oils to include in her fragrances.
The final perfume is much thicker than modern perfumes, with a consistency similar to olive oil. It is also much more concentrated and longer-lasting, with a pungent odour that lingers on the skin for days.
While it is impossible to know exactly what Cleopatra's perfume smelled like, this recreation comes very close to the ancient fragrance.
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Cleopatra's perfume preferences
Cleopatra, the Greek queen of ancient Egypt, was known for her love of perfumes. She even authored her own book on cosmetics and had her own perfume and cosmetics factory.
In 2012, archaeologists Robert Littman and Jay Silverstein from the University of Hawaii, uncovered ancient amphorae containing perfume residue at the ancient site of Mendes in Egypt. With the help of Egyptologist Dora Goldsmith and Classicist Sean Coughlin, they were able to recreate a perfume using recipes written in Ancient Greek and Latin. The perfume, called Mendesian, was popular among the wealthy in Egypt and across the ancient world. It was made from date oil, myrrh, cinnamon, and pine resin, and had a thick consistency similar to olive oil.
Another perfume that Cleopatra may have worn was recreated by scientists based on a 2,000-year-old recipe found during a decade-long dig near Cairo. This perfume is made from myrrh, cardamom, olive oil, and cinnamon, and has a pungent odour that lingers on the skin for days.
Cleopatra also used perfume for seduction, with reports that she strewn the floor of her boudoir with roses, some say ankle-deep, to seduce Mark Antony. She also soaked the sails of her ships with perfume to announce her presence and seduce prospective suitors.
While it is unclear if these recreated perfumes match the exact scents that Cleopatra wore, they provide valuable insights into the fragrances of ancient Egypt.
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The perfume's scent and longevity
Recreating Cleopatra's perfume is no easy feat, but scientists have managed to do so using a recipe written in Ancient Greek nearly 2,000 years ago. The perfume, which was likely worn by Cleopatra, is a thick, sticky concoction with a strong scent and a long-lasting fragrance.
The perfume has a thick consistency, similar to olive oil, and is made from a combination of myrrh, cardamom, olive oil, cinnamon, and pine resin. It is said to have a pungent odour that lingers on the skin for days. The base of the perfume is vegetable oil and animal fat, a key difference from modern perfumes, which typically use alcohol as their base.
The process of creating the perfume involved heating the oil for 10 days and 10 nights before infusing it with certain woods and resins. Scents were also created by burning fragrant resins, barks, and herbs, or through maceration by steeping resins, flowers, herbs, spices, and wood.
Cleopatra was known to value perfume highly and even had her own perfume and cosmetics factory. She used perfume in various aspects of her life, including rituals, religious events, lovemaking, and childbirth. She also used perfume to seduce Mark Antony, with the floor of her boudoir strewn with roses, and the sails of her barge soaked in perfume to announce her presence.
While the recreated perfume provides a glimpse into the scents of ancient Egypt, it is hard to say with certainty that it is exactly the same as the perfume Cleopatra wore. Nonetheless, it offers a fascinating insight into the world of ancient fragrances and their significance.
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Frequently asked questions
Scientists have recreated Cleopatra's perfume using a recipe written in Ancient Greek nearly 2,000 years ago. The recipe calls for myrrh, cardamom, olive oil, cinnamon, and pine resin.
The scent is said to be much more concentrated and longer-lasting than today's perfumes, with a pungent odour that lingers on the skin for days. It has been described as a "sweet heady mixture".
Archaeologists Robert Littman and Jay Silverstein from the University of Hawaii uncovered a perfume factory outside of Mendes, Egypt, in 2012. They found ancient amphorae containing perfume residue and used the recipes found at the site to recreate the perfume.
As the Queen of Egypt, Cleopatra had access to luxurious cosmetics and perfumes. She is said to have used fragrance to seduce Mark Antony, and even soaked the sails of her ships in perfume so the scent would drift to Rome before her arrival.
