Who we are
A letter to Zenon, secretary of Apollonius, minister of economy of Ptolemy II, concerning the purchase and distribution of Mendesian perfume. 257 BCE. P. Cair. Zen. 1 59089.
Alchemies of Scent is a multidisciplinary research group funded by the Junior Star Program of the Czech Science Foundation (GACR Grant ID 21-30494M).
Our aim is to better understand the practice of ancient Egyptian and Greek perfumery, to study and establish its place in the history of chemistry and science, and to examine the changing connections between art, craft, science and culture in the ancient Mediterranean world.
Our focus is the encounter between ancient Egyptian and Greek artists, craftspeople, philosophers and doctors preserved in written and archaeological records. They are our primary witnesses to the exchange and appropriation of technology and ideas connected with perfumery from the time of Egypt’s conquest by Alexander the Great to death of the last Ptolemaic ruler of Egypt, Cleopatra VII (fourth–first centuries BCE).
Our method is partly experimental, where we attempt to recreate ancient methods in a laboratory setting, partly traditional, where we use philological, historical and philosophical approaches to study the ancient written evidence.
Our Partners
We are part of the Department for the Study of Ancient and Medieval Thought at the Institute of Philosophy, Czech Academy of Sciences.
Our work is carried out with the cooperation of Dr Ullrich Jahn and the Chemistry of Natural Products Group at the Institute for Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Czech Academy of Sciences.
Our visual design is by Studio Datle in Prague.
