Scent trends in ancient Rome
Have you ever wondered what scents were particularly commended in classical antiquity? And why?
As a fragrance & flavour history enthusiast I love to spend most of my time researching old written documents in order to uncover and explore the facts about the role of scents in everyday life, their influence on our mood and well-being, their participation in establishing modern medicine, and our preferences in scents — why we like what we like.
And so, let me ask you once more: What scents do you think were loved and admired in ancient Rome? Of course, one can only truly like what one truly knows and therefore any preference then was most likely driven by what aromatic materials, such as herbs, spices, flowers, woods, seeds, and so on, were attainable, whether domestic or imported. But out of these, what was the one scent that exceeded them all in its irresistibility?
It can be argued, and correctly so, that any imported novelty ingredient that came with an eye-watering price tag was the one most wished for as it was accessible to only a few who could afford it. Luxury and hedonistic lifestyle was, after all, a sign of social status, of wealth, influence and power, and some were not afraid to spend large sums of money on these luxuries.
But desire is not always the same as love. So, what was the one scent that was loved by many? Surprisingly, it is a scent that most of us are familiar with — the scent of earth, or petrichor as we know it today. Both Cicero and Pliny agreed that those unguents which had the smell (and taste) of earth were the best.
Pliny in his book The Natural History wrote: “and such is the fact, no doubt, that soil is the best which has the flavour and smell of a perfume, that is often to be recognized at the moment of sunset, without the necessity even of turning up the ground, at the spots where the extremities of the rainbow have been observed to meet the earth; as also when after a long-continued drought the rain has soaked the ground. It is then when the earth exhales this most divine odour, and to which there is no perfume, however beautiful, that can possibly be compared. Its excellence is a thing that is universally admitted”.
Like with all senses, a preference in scents is very personal and subjective thing. Perhaps this was Pliny’s favourite scent. Maybe because it was so different from the rich intoxicating smells of spices and flowers used in most unguents, a scent that occurred naturally but only when the conditions were right and this inability to re-create it on demand was what made it so special.
There are natural materials that possess some of this beautiful, earthy, airy quality, such as cyperus root or tree moss, which were known and used in classical antiquity in medicinal preparations and unguents. But as much as these materials are beautiful they can perhaps only suggest this lovely, fleeting, earthy scent of rain, the smell of petrichor.
Petrichor
The scent of petrichor is a mixture of geosmine, ozone, and plants’ essential oils. During droughts some plants produce oils as a form of a communication, a message to other plants to inhibit growth and thus reduce competition for water. When it rains the rain drops hitting the dry ground release these oils into the air.
All plants are living organisms and they are able to interact with their neighbour plants and warn them of any immediate danger. These warning signals result in rapid changes within their essential oil compositions, which are then transferred on to their neighbour plant, forcing them to change their essential oil composition as well. Essential oils are therefore incredibly important for the overall health of the plant. It is estimated that there are around 300,000 plant species on our planet and about 10% of these produce essential oils.
Geosmin is produced by soil-dwelling bacteria called actinomycetes. Again, it is the drops of rain that saturate the ground and release the geosmin into the air. The earthy taste and smell of beetroot, for example, is due to geosmin. It is believed that humans can detect geosmin in the air at a very low concentration. For those interested in chemistry, the chemical formula for geosming is C12H22O.
During thunderstorm lightning can split oxygen and nitrogen molecules in the atmosphere and these can recombine into nitric oxide which interacts with other chemicals to form ozone. Ozone is believed to have a “clean smell” similar to chlorine.
Petrichor is therefore a combination of geosmine, essential oils, and ozone mixed with a clean air after all the dust particles and other air pollutants have been washed down by the rain. It is very interesting that this wonderful scent of rain and thunderstorm was already appreciated and talked about during Cicero’s and Pliny’s times and considered to be one of the most beautiful scents against which any other scent and flavour were compared and judged.
And, what is your favourite scent?
Source: Delphi Complete Works of Pliny the Elder, First edition, 2015, Delphi Classics, Hastings, UK
