• About
  • Login to comment
    • Facebook
    • RSS
    • Twitter

Now Smell This

a blog about perfume

Menu ▼
  • Perfume Reviews
  • New Perfumes
  • Perfumers
  • Perfume Houses
  • Shop for perfume
  • Resources

World’s oldest perfumery, part 2

Posted by Robin on 17 March 2007 9 Comments

As previously reported, archaeologists have discovered a 4000 year old perfumery on the island of Cyprus. The site was preserved after it was "buried by an earthquake in the second millennium BC".

Artifacts from the site can now be seen at the Palazzo Caffarelli in Rome, where they will be on display through September as part of the exhibit "I profumi di Afrodite e il segreto dell’olio". Apparently, they have also recreated some of the fragrances for visitors to smell. Read more about the exhibit (in Italian) at Musei Capitolini. (quote via ansa.it, found via upi)

Filed Under: perfume in the news
Tagged With: archaeology, perfume history

Advertisement


9 Comments

Leave a comment, or read more about commenting at Now Smell This. Here's our privacy policy, and a handy emoticon chart.

  1. Anonymous says:
    17 March 2007 at 2:03 pm

    The two oldest perfumeries that I know of are Galimard (1747) and Creed (1760).

    Log in to Reply
  2. Anonymous says:
    17 March 2007 at 4:47 pm

    According to William Morris (Scents of Time) Floris was founded in 1730; Thomas Yardley in 1770. He doesn't mention Galimard or Creed. Newman's Book of Perfume says the oldest brand in France is Houbigant, which opened in 1775. Of course, Houbigant hardly exists at this point.

    Log in to Reply
  3. Anonymous says:
    17 March 2007 at 7:38 pm

    Isn't Santa Maria Novella older than all of them?

    Log in to Reply
  4. Anonymous says:
    17 March 2007 at 9:24 pm

    Well, they are supposed to one of the world's oldest pharmacies, I think, but no idea when they became a “fragrance house”.

    Log in to Reply
  5. Anonymous says:
    18 March 2007 at 11:24 am

    If I recall correctly, Floris was founded as a barbershop and started producing fragrances after 1786.

    If we are looking at companies as a whole, then SMN would be the oldest, even though they were initiated as a pharmacy and started producing fragrances a couple of 100 years later.

    Log in to Reply
  6. Anonymous says:
    18 March 2007 at 1:17 pm

    According to Italian Wikipedia, the monks of SMN started selling rose water as a disinfectant against epidemics in 1381. I wonder whether people also used it as a perfume. I would have. LOL!

    Log in to Reply
  7. Anonymous says:
    18 March 2007 at 7:41 pm

    Would have done you more good as a perfume, obviously :-)

    Log in to Reply
  8. Anonymous says:
    18 March 2007 at 7:42 pm

    LOL — when someone starts marketing these fragrances from Cyprus, and no doubt, someone will, they'll qualify as oldest ;-)

    Log in to Reply
  9. Anonymous says:
    19 March 2007 at 8:01 am

    LOL!

    Log in to Reply

Leave a reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Advertisement

Search

From NST at Twitter

  • "Eau de Animale: An ecosystem of scents from Zoologist Perfumes" (orion nature quarterly) https://t.co/wEguKm493W, 7 hours ago
  • "Coty Raises Profit Forecast on Resilient Demand, Price Hikes" (business of fashion) https://t.co/coHIajwCqI, 7 hours ago
  • "Revisiting the late Paco Rabanne’s journey from fashion spaceman to fragrance king" (prestige singapore) https://t.co/Rwb7YXLb1B,
  • "This Perfume Trend Is Dividing Opinion — But I’m Obsessed" (refinery29 on rose fragrances) https://t.co/4AruKSXnDw,
  • "The Biggest Fragrance Trends for 2023, According to Experts" (marieclaire) https://t.co/tVmxnyMEXX,

Browse by...

Topic

Perfume talk New fragrances
Shopping Books :: News
Body products Home fragrance
Polls Another subject

Date

January 2023
December 2022
November 2022
October 2022
September 2022
August 2022

Prior months

Author

Robin Jessica
Angela Kevin
Erin Guest Author

Tag

Celebrity perfumes
Cheap thrills
Collector bottles
Perfumista tip series
Video
The complete tag index

Recent reviews

Atelier Cologne Love Osmanthus
Moschino Toy Boy
Arquiste Misfit
Diptyque Eau Capitale
Zoologist Bee
Parfum d’Empire Immortelle Corse
Comme des Garcons Series 10 Clash
Frédéric Malle Rose & Cuir
L’Artisan Parfumeur Le Chant de Camargue
Yves Saint Laurent Grain de Poudre
Régime des Fleurs Chloë Sevigny Little Flower
Chanel 1957
Gallivant Los Angeles
Amouage Portrayal Woman

Blogroll

Bois de Jasmin
Grain de Musc
Perfume Posse
The Non-Blonde
More blogs...

Perfumista lists

100 fragrances every perfumista should try
And 25 more fragrances every perfumista should smell
50 masculine fragrances every perfumista should try
26 vintage fragrances every perfumista should try
25 rose fragrances every perfumista should try
11 Cheap Perfumes Beauty Outsiders Love

Favorite posts

The Great Perfume Reduction Plan
Why I Love Old School Chypres
New to perfume and want to learn more?
How to make fragrance last through the day
Fragrance concentrations: sorting it all out
On reformulations, or why your favorite perfume doesn’t smell like it used to
How to get fragrance samples
Perfume for Life: How Long Will Your Fragrance Collection Last?

Upcoming

List of upcoming Friday projects

4 January ~ damage poll
4 February ~ winter reading poll

TBA April ~ swap meet

Back to Top

Home
About Now Smell This :: Privacy Policy

Shop for Perfume Online
Perfume Shopping in New York
Perfume Shopping in London
Perfume Reviews
New Perfumes
General Perfume Articles
The Monday Mail

Glossary of Perfume Terms
Perfume FAQ
Perfume Links
Perfume Books
Fragrance Awards

Noses ~ Perfumers A-E :: F-K :: L-S :: T-Z

Perfume Houses A-B :: C :: D-E :: F-G
H-J :: K-L :: M :: N-O :: P :: Q-R :: S
T :: U-Z

Copyright © 2005-2023 Now Smell This. All rights reserved.