Perfumed: The Story of Fragrance in the Ancient Mediterranean

by Annette Giesecke

A heady look at the fascinating world of perfumes, incense, and other aromatics in the ancient Mediterranean and their vibrant and sometimes violent history.Perfumed invites you to breathe deeply and inhale the incense burning on the altars of the Greeks, perfumes sprinkled on spectators in Roman amphitheaters or wafting from the robes of Persian kings, and unguents filling Egyptian tombs. Though we don’t know who first burned a fragrant branch to perfume their dwelling or rubbed an aromatic petal against their skin, evidence demonstrates that such practices were ubiquitous by the Bronze Age.Opens with a richly illustrated overview of aromatics in Mesopotamia, Persia, Egypt, Greece, and Roman Italy.Explores the role fragrance played in all aspects of daily life and details major ingredients, including balsam, frankincense, rose, myrrh, saffron, and more.Features vivid passages from ancient sources, including perfume recipes and intriguing anecdotes such as the historian Herodotus’s account of winged serpents guarding frankincense trees in Arabia or Pliny the Elder’s claim that the emperor Nero burned a year’s harvest of frankincense for his wife’s funeral (after likely murdering her).Contains over 80 images drawn from a diverse range of ancient sources and archaeological evidence.
Experience the ancient world through its most evocative sense. Best-selling author Annette Giesecke’s Perfumed is essential reading for anyone with an interest in plants, perfumes, and other aromatics, as well as the rich, interrelated cultures of the Mediterranean.

180 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication February 9, 2027

About the author

Annette Giesecke, PhD is a Classicist and Professor at Te Herenga Waka | Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. She has written on Epicurean philosophy, the poetry of Homer and Virgil, garden history, and ancient attitudes towards the natural environment. Her books include Classical Mythology A to Z, The Epic City, A Cultural History of Plants (6 vols.), The Good Gardener, and Earth Perfect. She lives in Wellington, New Zealand.