The Royal Perfume
Of the many ingredients of a perfume used by Parthian kings in the east, wine, roses, myrtle, olive-oil, the iris and a plant called nard were all found in the empire. The other ingredients had to be imported, making this perfume very expensive. Pliny is appalled that 400 silver denarii were spent on one pound of perfume (more than a year’s wages for a Roman soldier). He also writes about an antidote for poison called Theriace that required 600 different ingredients.
The ingredients of the royal perfume
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1. Costus
2. Cardamom
3. Henna
4. Caper
5. All-heal or Valerian in its root form
6. Scarlet seeded Iris
7. Marjoram
8. Saffron
9. Behen-nut seeds. The juice was an ingredient
10. Oil of unripe olives
11. Wild grape
12. Honey
13. Wine
14. Cinnamon bark and leaf.
15. Catmint from Italy
16. Sweet flag from Italy
17. Myrrh
18. Lotus
19. Serichatum
' Pliny’s comments on the trade in luxuries and the concoction of elaborate perfumes, like the disgustingly expensive Eastern perfume featured in one of the exhibits, often ooze with disapproval…His discussion of perfume, one of the exhibition themes, mixes natural history with economic information and miniature social history through a stream of such stories; we are told not only which plants provide perfumes but what the raw ingredients cost, how they are mixed, how they should be stored, and the correct way to test them; all culminating in a series of examples of offbeat uses of this most transient, over-priced and morally dubious of luxuries: from the anointing of the legionary standards at festivals to a vignette of a couple of Rome’s most notorious experts in the art of excess sharing a beauty tip: the future emperor Otho [13. Chap. 4. (3.) — The Excesses to which luxury has run in unguents].explains to Nero how to perfume the soles of his feet (a nice contrast to their more dignified portrayals in the coin series on display). The emperor Caligula invented scented baths – probably one of his more innocuous ideas. The climax is a cautionary tale: go easy on the scent if you wish to escape notice in a crisis. One victim of the civil wars which followed the murder of Julius Caesar was sniffed out of his hiding place by his killers. Serve him right is Pliny’s rather censorious comment.….. [13.Chap. 5.— When Unguents were First Used by the Romans] '
Extract from Dr. Mary Beagon’s talk at the opening of Nature Through Roman Eyes.
A Painted Mummy Portrait
Portrait of a young man
This young man wears a white tunic with a dark red stripe, called a ‘clavus’, and a white garment draped over his left shoulder. The man’s hairstyle was fashionable during the Flavian period (69-96 AD).
This delicate wooden panel is one of 13 painted mummy portraits in the Manchester Museum. Such panel portraits were produced during the Roman Period (c. 55-220 AD) and are amongst the most evocative images to have come from Egypt. Most were painted using an encaustic method, in which pigment is mixed with hot wax and applied directly onto the surface of thin wooden panels. The panels were attached over the head of the mummy, held in place with bandages around each edge. Whether they were painted during life, and if they were displayed prior to being attached to the mummy, has caused much debate.​
Painted portraits are attested at sites across Roman Egypt. Most are, however, associated with Hawara, a site in the Faiyum, from where the present example derives. The panels are often referred to as ‘Faiyum portraits’ because W.M. Flinders Petrie discovered over 700 examples in the region.
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Some soldiers anointed their helmets with oils and this perfumed their hair beneath. Pliny describes this practice as an indulgent gratification as as 'the act provides precedent for those who now wear unguents beneath their helmets'. It was widely known that the unpretentious Emperor Vespasian disapproved of this and Suetonius reports an incident when a young officer reeking of perfumed oil came to thank the Emperor for a commission he had been granted. Seutonius claims that Vespasian turned his head away in disgust and cancelled the promotion, commenting: 'I would have preferred he stank of garlic'.
A Roman Bronze Mirror
Perfume Objects
Bronze mirror and case of Roman date from Chiusi in Etruria in northern Italy.
Roman glass container or unguentarium wrapped with reeds from the Faiyum, Egypt. These vessels were used for a variety of scented lotions and perfumes. The modern packaging for Pompeia perfume plays on the association with Classical antiquity to suggest that this is a desirable luxury.
Small glass container, probably used for lip balm; and a glass ink well. In the northern provinces of the empire these containers were sometimes used to carry scented oils to the baths.
Roman toiletry implements including spoons, applicators, ear picks and a nail cleaner from Malton, London and Creswell Crags. Includes loans from Malton Museum.
Roman toiletry implements including spoons, applicators, ear picks and a nail cleaner from Malton, London and Creswell Crags. Includes loans from Malton Museum.
Roman toiletry implements including spoons, applicators, ear picks and a nail cleaner from Malton, London and Creswell Crags. Includes loans from Malton Museum.
Roman toiletry implements including spoons, applicators, ear picks and a nail cleaner from Malton, London and Creswell Crags. Includes loans from Malton Museum.
Roman portrait of a young man from Hawara in Egypt. Well-to-do Roman men and women took great pride in their personal appearance. Pliny criticises people for using too much perfume. The portrait dates from the reign of Vespasian and his sons, c. 70 to 100 AD.
1. Bronze mirror and case of Roman date from Chiusi in Etruria in northern Italy.
2. Costus from India was one of the many ingredients of the Royal Perfume. Pliny describes its smell as exquisite. We cannot be sure which plant it was but Saussurea jacea (formerly Haplotaxis jacea) is one possibility.
3. Catnip or catmint from Italy. In addition to perfume, Pliny writes that mint was used in preparing simple dishes in the countryside.
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4. Roman glass container or unguentarium wrapped with reeds from the Faiyum, Egypt. These vessels were used for a variety of scented lotions and perfumes. The modern packaging for Pompeia perfume plays on the association with Classical antiquity to suggest that this is a desirable luxury.
5. Saffron was used to make oil of saffron or crocinum, which was a key ingredient in making perfumes. The best quality saffron came from Cilicia in Turkey.
6. There are hundreds of references to honey in the Natural History. It is often listed as an ingredient in perfume.
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7. Caper. As well as its use in perfume, the stalk and seeds were eaten salted and pickled.
8. Roman portrait of a young man from Hawara in Egypt. Well-to-do Roman men and women took great pride in their personal appearance. Pliny criticises people for using too much perfume. The portrait dates from the reign of Vespasian and his sons, c. 70 to 100 AD.
9. Roman toiletry implements including spoons, applicators, ear picks and a nail cleaner from Malton, London and Creswell Crags. Includes loans from Malton Museum.
10. Small glass container, probably used for lip balm; and a glass ink well. In the northern provinces of the empire these containers were sometimes used to carry scented oils to the baths.
11. Oil of unripe olives called omphacium was another ingredient in the Royal Perfume.
12. Oil of marjoram from Cos was very popular but new scents were constantly coming into fashion. From Levenshulme.
13. Aromatic myrrh came from what is now Somalia and southern Arabia. Pliny notes that the best quality myrrh sold for 16 denarii per pound.
14. Frankincense. Arabia was the only country that produced frankincense and Pliny is concerned about the large amounts of money spent on importing it for use in the Roman Empire. Frankinscense is still used as a perfume today.
15. Sweet flag. When fresh, Pliny writes sweet flag has a more powerful odour than when kept for some time. The best came from the shores of the Black Sea, Turkey and Crete.