Remains of perfume were discovered during archaeological excavations in 2019 in a family cemetery dating from the 1st century AD. They were preserved by hardening in a bowl cut from quartz.

what is known

It was a tomb belonging to a wealthy family, and it contained funeral urns for six adults – three women and three men – in addition to numerous funerary items.

In one of the glass pots, a cloth bag was placed over the cremated skeletal remains of a 30-40-year-old woman whose remains were preserved. It contained three amber beads and a small bottle of rock crystal.

At that time perfume bottles were usually made of glass, bottles made from a single piece of rock crystal were extremely rare, indicating the wealth of the family. The bottle is reported to be very well sealed with dolomite and bitumen.

Finds from the Tomb / Photograph: IQUEMA

To determine the composition of the perfumes, the scientists used X-ray diffraction and gas chromatography along with mass spectrometry. Two components were reliably identified: the base and the aromatic essence itself. The perfume turned out to be oily: the basis was vegetable oil, most likely olive. The main aromatic ingredient was patchouli essential oil obtained from the Indian plant Pogostemon cablin.

Before this discovery, it was not known that this plant, which was widely used in modern perfumery, was also used in the Roman Empire.