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Edited and prepared by Prof. Hamed A. Ead These pages are edited by Prof. Hamed Abdel-reheem Ead, Professor of Chemistry at the Faculty of Science -University of Cairo, Giza, Egypt and director of the Science Heritage Center E-mail: [email protected] Web site: http://www.frcu.eun.eg/www/universities/html/hamed2.htm Back to Islamic Alchemy Throughout the ancient world the Egyptians were famous for their scents and perfumes. The country was considered the most suitable for the manufacture of such commodities. As the distillation of alcohol was not known until the fourth century BC the scents were extracted by steeping plants, flowers or splinters of fragrant wood in oil to obtain essential oil, which would then be added to other oils or fat. The materials were placed in a piece of cloth which was wrung until the last drop of fragrance had been retrieved. Alternatively they were boiled with oil and water and the oil skimmed off.  One
of the most famous Egyptian 'perfumes' was made in the city of Mendes in
the Delta, whence it was exported to Rome. It consisted of balanos oil,
myrrh and resin. Dioscorides adds cassia. The order in which ingredients
were added to the oil was important, as the last one imparted the most
pungent scent. Theophrastus mentions as an example that if one pound of
myrrh is added to half a pint of oil, and at a later stage one third
of an ounce of cinnamon was put in, the cinnamon will dominate. The secret
of the Egyptian unguent-makers was obviously to know at which precise moment
to add the various ingredients, and at which temperature. The Mendesian
'perfume was known as 'The Egyptian' par excellence. Unlike many others,
it was left its natural colour. It had the added advantage of keeping very
well: one perfumer in Greece had had a batch in his shop for eight years,
and it was even better than the freshly made 'perfume'. Once applied to
the skin it lasted well, too. As Theophrastus said: 'A lasting perfume
is what women require'. If 'The Egyptian' was found to be too heavily scented,
its strong odour could be lightened by being mixed with sweet wine.
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