A group of researchers from the University of Cordoba (Spain) has determined for the first time the composition of the perfumes used by the inhabitants of ancient Rome. They were able to analyze remains of perfume more than 2,000 years old, writing Arkeonnews site with a link to an article from Heritage magazine.
The ancient Roman spirits came to scientists following a discovery made in 2019 during the renovation of a building in the municipality of Carmona in Seville. The workers dug a mausoleum with several niches. The burial was in excellent condition, for two thousand years it managed to avoid detection and looting. The remains of six members of an apparently very wealthy ancient Roman family were found in the burial (Spain was conquered by ancient Rome in the 2nd century BC, after which its population was rapidly Latinized). In addition to the remains, various objects were found in the mausoleum, including a container with a solid mass inside. Apparently the ancient vial belonged to one of the buried women.
This vial, wrapped in a cloth bag, became the object of special attention of Spanish scientists. The bottle turned out to be made of quartz, a hard and rather durable mineral, the use of which is extremely rare in the daily life of the ancient Romans. The vessel was sealed with a dolomite plug, a type of carbon, and bitumen was used for sealing. For this reason, the remains of the substance it contains were kept in the container.
A group of researchers from the University of Corbova, led by professor of organic chemistry José Rafael Ruiz Arrebol, have described the components of perfumes dating back to the first century AD. From the ancient composition it was possible to isolate two main components – the base (binding substance) and the essence itself. The base turned out to be vegetable oil (although, possibly, olive oil, it was not possible to determine exactly), but the active ingredient turned out to be an oil essential obtained from a plant of Indian origin Pogostemon cablin. In later history, this essence was known as “patchouli”. This plant is now widely used in the perfume industry due to its high content of volatile aromatic substances. Perfume made from patchouli essential oil was popular in the Middle Ages and modern times. However, nothing was previously known of its use during the Roman Empire.
The scent “patchouli” is also mentioned in Russian literary classics. “It smells of patchouli,” Gaev says with disgust in Chekhov’s play, The Cherry Orchard. At the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, a more refined perfume was already in fashion, and representatives of the popular classes, often prostitutes, used perfumes based on patchouli oil.
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