Home Cafe Aries Taurus Gemini Cancer Leo Virgo Libra Scorpio Sagittarius Capricorn Aquarius Pisces

History of Perfume

The Venetian Marco Polo Tells His Story

Thumbnail from A Tale from the Decameron by John William Waterhouse

It was in this time that the use of essential oils developed and they were initially used only by the priests of ancient civilizations like Sumer and Egypt.  Their use was considered sacred and was allowed only by those authorized by their position.  Until recently, drugs were made from these same plants, as well as perfumes.  Now many drugs are manufactured.

"We travel not for trafficking alone, 

by hotter winds our fiery hearts are fanned, 

for lust of knowing what should not be known,

We take the Golden Road to Samarkand."               

James Elroy Flecker (1884 - 1915), British poet (1884 - 1915), 

Hassan, act 5, sc. 2 (1922)                                                                                        

We Meet with Other Travelers to Trade Stories

Under the stars of the cool desert nights we tell our stories - stories of Stars and Planets, of synchronous predictions and magical coincidences, of exotic places, stories of love and adventure, Rose and Jasmine, Frankincense and Myrrh, Lavender and Cypress.

Lean back and listen to the tales of travelers through the centuries.  It is here that we will learn of each others ancient discoveries and secret passions.

Ahhhh, let us be quiet now and drink our honeyed wine while the man from Venice begins the first story of the evening...The famous Venetian traveler Marco Polo begins to speak...

Two Horsemen
Kitab al-Baytara ('Book of Farriery')
by Ahmed ibn al-Husayn ibn al-Ahnaf.
Baghdad,1210.                                                                                             

Marco Polo Tells the First Storyry: A Tale of Kublai Khan ( 1215-94), the Gre    Polo is returning from China along the Silk Road through Anatolia and Constantinople after twenty years spent traveling in caravans through the Orient and living among the Tartars in yurts (round tents used as homes in Mongolia).  

Stories of a Mongol Princess and exotic Perfumes

 " In 1293, we left the country as an escort for a Mongol princess traveling by sea to Persia.  Our  party got to that country by Sumatra, near southern India.  We then went overland past Tabriz in northwest Persia, then along the east coast of the Black Sea, and past Constantinople.  We are now traveling back to our home, to Venice. According to our calculations of the position of Jupiter in the last degree of Leo, we are still going to be spending many months traveling.

We are bringing goods with us that Europe has never seen before. The princess we escorted was carrying exotic perfume oils, unknown to Europe.

We are bringing many unknown goods.  We have perfume from a famous White Rose.  It was the Great Khan's favorite perfume.  All of the essence distilled in the country was saved for him alone, but he allowed us to bring it back to let our countrymen see what lies beyond the great Gobi Desert.   There are other exotic perfumes - a green tangerine called Yuzu that is the favorite of the Orient -  but this  White Rose is most precious of all.

All of this he saves for the Empress of China.  It's scent is as soft as a whisper and it is as valuable as gold and rubies. 

 We carry with us a Damask Rose, which was a scent so beautiful that a famous Arab embedded it in the mortar of a palace built for the marriage to his beautiful desert princess and they say that for years it scented the desert winds; and Frankincense, which was hard to get, as a great Muslim bought up all of the supply for the entire year to honor the death of his beloved wife.  We carry these home along with our stories of the Great Khan and his empire."

Aristotle, the teacher of Alexander the Great, loved Roses and had gardens of them.  He gave them to Alexander who took them into North Africa to be grown there.  A Five Petal Rose from the Balkan Mountain Range is among the most beautiful scents. 

Here we will take our own first caravan stop, so I can recommend books on the subject.

To learn more about the history of perfumes and essential oils, these are the books I recommend:

BOOKS on Aromatherapy soon to come

Click Here for our Caravanserai Scent for  the month.

Back

Please contact us with any questions or requests about our services.  Lynne Crandall - Astrologer and Aromatherapy Consultant 

Tel: 517- 381-0848                

lynnecrandall@whiteroseofprovence.com                        

Copyright 2000 - 2009  All Rights Reserved Website design Lynne Crandall White Rose of Provence, Crandall Press