Perfume has been used for centuries. While much of the process was common knowledge in the earliest times, only the most skilled and knowledgeable perfumers could create timeless creations. Their formulae were often passed on to their successors but sometimes, their work was recorded in notes. Some of these became treasured perfume books. In Eugene OR a rare books library may contain these missives.
Perfume Books in Mesopotamia
The earliest recorded work is perhaps a clay tablet dating from around 1200 BCE. It mentions the work of two specific perfume creators – Tapputi-Belatekalllim and “Ninu.” Both are mentioned as being experts in the manufacturing of perfume. Few actual recipes remain from this period, except in secondary sources. One by Tapputi reveals how she crafted a sale for the Babylonian King from flowers, oil and calamus. The rest, including a treatise on perfumery, is long lost.
Until recently, the work of these two women has gone relatively unnoticed. Today, they are both celebrated as chemists. This skill is essential to be a perfumer.
Perfume Books in Greece and Rome
During these early periods, although not perfumers, the Greek botanist Theophrastus (c. 270–285 B.C.) in Concerning Odors, Pliny the Elder (Roman, A.D. 23–79) in his Natural History provide recipes and information about the art. They describe collection methods. Theophrastus is the most thorough, providing various information, including the “Medicinal Properties of Certain Perfumes.”
To learn more about these early writers, look up perfume books online or in local libraries in Eugene, OR.
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