To truly comprehend the nuanced role smell played in past centuries, look no further than the funeral ceremonies of ancient Rome. When, in 1485, construction workers accidentally stumbled upon a Roman citizen’s grave while working on the Via Appia, they were amazed by the “strong odor of turpentine and myrrh” preserved inside the sarcophagus, alongside subtle hints of frankincense, aloe, and cedar oil.
— Read more in The foul and the fragrant: what did the past smell like? at Big Think.
The eau de cologne that reminded [poet and composer Constantijn] Huygens of his mother is flowery but spicy too, with ingredients such as rose, lavender, thyme, marjoram, clove and cinnamon. It's a different scent from today's perfumes. It has a bit more oomph. "It's a nice scent," says reader in English literature Nadine Akkerman, who is studying correspondence networks and knowledge exchange for the project. The eau de cologne is meant to be sprayed around the house rather than used as a perfume.
— Read more in Researchers recreate 17th-century perfume by Constantijn Huygens at Phys.org. (And there is a lovely presentation of the project here.)
During the reign of Marie Antoinette, more than 5,000 people lived and worked at Versailles. Given the resulting chamber pot situation, you can understand why she spent a few thousand livres a year on perfumed toiletries.
Like other royal purveyors, Marie Antoinette’s perfumer Jean-Louis Fargeon had an intimate view of the queen’s troubled tenure and the Revolution’s bloody reforms. But unlike the majority of the queen’s circle, which was prone to spending recklessly and engaging solely in frivolous pastimes, Fargeon was a competent businessman and an intellectual who would actively support the Revolution’s aims (if not its executions). Drawing on Fargeon’s papers, historian Elizabeth de Feydeau’s A Scented Palace: The Secret History of Marie Antoinette’s Perfumer is an illuminating biography of the reviled queen and a rich introduction to the era’s perfumed luxuries.
As a member of the merchant class, Fargeon’s education included the philosophy of the Enlightenment era, as well as the art and science of his skilled trade…
The ‘Perfume Garden’ by Laurie Chetwood and Patrick Collins is inspired by a perfume created 400 years ago for Elizabeth I. It began with a visit to Grasse to recreate the queen’s perfume with the help of French perfume house Jean Patou, and each plant in the garden has a role to play in the creation of scent. The final design will include an area where visitors can try the contemporary version of Elizabeth I’s perfume for themselves.
— From The Chelsea Flower Show 2009 at Time Out London. You can also read more about the Perfume Garden at the Telegraph or at Perfumer Flavorist.
This world premier will now in all probability be followed by another one: "The desiccated residues of a fluid can be clearly discerned in the x-ray photographs," the museum´s curator explains. "Our pharmacologists are now going to analyse this sediment." The results could be available in a good year´s time. If they are successful, the scientists in Bonn are even hoping to "reconstruct" the perfume so that, 3,500 years after the death of the woman amongst whose possessions it was found, the scent could then be revitalised.
— Scientists at Bonn University will try to reconstruct the perfume of Pharaoh Hatshepsut, a "power-conscious woman" who ruled Egypt until her death in 1457 B.C. Read more in What Scents Did The Ancient Egyptians Use? at ScienceDaily.