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Ancient Perfumery Found in Cyprus |
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 Authorities display fragments of perfume jars found at a site believed to be one of the oldest production sites for perfume in Cyprus. |
A team of Italian archaeologists working in Cyprus believe they have discovered the site of an ancient perfume factory dating back to the Bronze Age.
The 4,000-year-old perfumery is thought to have manufactured fragrances for export across the eastern Mediterranean. It is also thought to have formed part of a complex of buildings, a sort of Bronze Age industrialist estate, which included an olive press, a winery and a copper smelting works. |
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Scientists have reconstituted 12 different perfumes from traces of scents found in dozens of clay bottles at the site.
So far they have extracted essences of laurel, cinnamon and myrtle - all likely to have been derived from local plants and then mixed with olive oil. The scale of the site and the presence of huge 500 litre oil storage jars suggests it was the centre of a prosperous export business. |
 Scented oils commanded high prices in the ancient world |
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