In the Aristotelian system of the five senses, smell ranks third after sight and hearing, the primarily epistemological senses. The intangible nature of odors and the briefness of the experience contribute to the intensity of the sense of smell. For this reason, it has always played a big role in human culture, giving meaning to religious practices, traditions and customs.
Olfactory heritage research is an emerging and cross-disciplinary field - it merges history, chemistry, archaeology, ethnography, anthropology, olfactory museology and sensory geography, among others. Due to the intangible and ephemeral nature of smells, innovative approaches are being used to document and preserve this heritage for the future - methodologies such as smell mapping, sensory references in historical evidence and smell sampling documented with chemical and sensory metadata.
Perhaps the biggest part of the study of olfactory heritage belongs to perfumery, an art about which many ancient treatises with therapeutic, cosmetic and scientific content were written.e
The most famous ancient Greek perfumes were irinon, olive oil with extracts from iris roots, balsam, >stacti, the original balm of myrrh, melinio from quince oil, rhodium a famous ointment from Rhodes made from rose extract together with other essential oils. Many ancient cities were famous for the production of popular perfumes, for example Kyzikos was famous for the scent of iris, Kos for the scent of marjoram and apples and Ephesus with the great, famous Ephesian perfume.
Perfumes from the East also reached the ports of Ancient Greece, such as the Lydian brendhion mixing musk and lavender, the aromatic oil of lilies from Susa, the currant, mendisio from Menti of Egypt from balan oil flavored with bitter almond essence and nardon from the Indian spikenard root, with a subtle fragrance. The best nard was produced in Tarsus, Cilicia. Particularly beloved by the Greeks of Asia Minor, stactis was an expensive luxury perfume, bitter and pungent, imported from the East, extracted from the myrrh bush. Ancient peoples used it to make liquid perfumes, ointments, lozenges, incense and aromatic wines.
Perfumes and cosmetics manufacturing workshops were called mirepsia (perfumeries) and held a variety of tools, such as: pestles, grinders with graters, sieves, cups, basins, bathtubs, pots, censers and fire pits. The finished products were kept in a variety of receptors, which were sold in the fragrant open-air markets, where the odors of fruits, wines, vegetables, and herbs offset the foul odors the tanneries and animals.
Both personal cleanliness and household cleanliness were very important to the ancients. Rooms and wardrobes smelled of lemon, apple of Hesperides and the scent of peach and Persian apple, protected clothes from moths and other insects.
At the banquets, in addition to the foods and aromatic incenses, hosts created well curated smellscapes made with wreaths of ivy, laurel, myrtle, conifers, celery, dill, mint, roses and seasonal flowers. Wreaths were also infused with aromatic oils and their scents worked to combat headache, dizziness from wine, bad breath and indigestion.
In the thematic exhibition you will find items related to olfactory heritage to approach the sensual experience of smell through texts, illustrations, objects and utensils.
The exhibition contains items from the following institutions:
