DERQX Perfumes
the history
Egypt, that is the place where perfume originated. Egyptians offered perfumes to the gods, burning herbs and flower twigs. They thought that the gods would remain so calm and they would not harm anyone.
Later the scents were processed in all kinds of oils. Egyptians mummified and embalmed the dead in ancient times.
This they did with Myrrh and Cassia, which was a kind of Cinnamon. High-ranking people were also given scented water in the grave for the afterlife.
Archaeologists discovered this in 1922 when they opened Tutankhamun's tomb. He was embalmed and mummified, and there were several oil jars in his grave.
Perfume entered Greece via the Phoenicians. This people dominated the Mediterranean after the Egyptians. Some techniques were changed. They invented perfume based on water instead of oil. Little was sold, people stopped making perfume.
In the 12th century BC it was bought again because the people were richer than before and so perfume was made again. Perfume was then in waterproof boxes, but this turned out to be inconvenient so the Greeks invented glass bottles to store perfume.
The Greeks used an extraordinary amount of perfume and a different scent for each part of the body. 640 BC politician and poet Solon thought that people used too much. He issued an edict on the sale of perfume. This failed, perfume remained the best-selling product.
The Romans soon attached great importance to perfume. At the beginning of the Roman Empire, perfume was only used for religious activities and funerals of important persons.
Ruler Nero, on the other hand, used an awful lot of perfume. In the year his beloved died, he used more incense than the entire Arab world could supply in a year.
The Romans put together many new fragrances, they indulged in fragrances. Floors and walls were sprinkled, horses and dogs were rubbed with it, and fountains spouted perfumed water during feasts of distinguished company.
In the Middle East, the use of perfume was put an end to the rise of Christianity, both in everyday and religious life. Yet Arabs have maintained it.
The alembic was invented in the 10th century, improving distillation techniques. Spaniards and crusaders eventually brought the perfume back to Europe. When Catherine de' Medici left Italy in the 16th century and married the French crown prince, everyone wanted perfumed leather gloves. With this she gave an impetus to the perfume industry.
The best glove perfumers came from Grasse in France, this is how Grasse developed into a leading perfume town and is still very important.
This is the beginning of a long perfume history. This one started with a dozen scents, now there are thousands.
