Cleopatra and the Throne

Cleopatra was born in approx. 70 B.C. She spoke many different languages and was daughter of Ptolemy XII. The Egyptian throne was passed to Cleopatra when she was only 18 and she shared the throne with her brother Ptolemy XIII. Cleopatra sought Julius Caesar’s help in restoring the throne of Egypt to her after a 4 month war between Caesar and Ptolemy III. She gave birth to a son who was named Ptolemy Caesar, thought to be a son of Julius Caesar.

Cleopatra and Mark Anthony

Cleopatra is most famous for her romantic encounter with Mark Anthony, a Roman General who requested to meet her in Tarsus, south of Turkey. Cleopatra planned a dramatic entrance to Tarsus by sailing up the river Cydnus in a spectacular boat pained gold, with silver oars and the scent of her perfume wafted across the city which fascinated everyone including Mark Anthony and they became lovers for approx. 10 years.

Cleopatras famous scent

Cleopatra was known for wearing perfume and her famous scent which probably consisted of different mixes of essential oils, frankincense and myrrh, cardamom or roses. Perfume was very popular at the time and ancient perfume apothecaries have been discovered in Egypt which show that perfume was being created even before Cleopatra’s reign.  Archaeologists have discovered residual evidence of ingredients in jars which were thought to have been used during the making of perfume around this time.

Cleopatras perfume recreated?

A Professor from the University of Hawai’i at Mãnoa, Robert Littman who has been teaching at the University since 1977 and his colleague Jay Silverstein came up with the idea of recreating Cleopatra’s famous scent after their discovery of a perfume factory during an excavation at the Thmouis site, an ancient city in Egypt. They approached other experts to assist in attempting to recreate Cleopatra’s famous perfume! The new scent is spicy and musky and very strong smelling and is thought to be similar to what Cleopatra’s would have worn. It is known that ancient perfumes would have been stored in many jars or vessels made from clay, stone and coloured glass, which would have assisted in blocking sunlight which could have tampered with the scent of the perfume.

How temperature affects perfume

Temperature can have a direct affect on perfume and for that reason, it is advised to store perfume in a dark, cool place as temperature fluctuations can erode the fragrance. Storing your perfume at temperature between 60 and 70°F is recommended to preserve the perfumes scent.

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