THE CRAFT OF PERFUMERY HAS AN ANCIENT AND GLOBAL HERITAGE. THE ART...

1. The craft of perfumery has an ancient and global heritage. The art flourished in Ancient Rome, where the

emperors were said to bathe in scent. After the fall of Rome, much of the knowledge was lost, but survived

in Islamic civilizations in the Middle Ages. Arab and Persian pharmacists developed essential oils from the

aromatic plants of the Indian peninsula. They developed the processes of distillation and suspension in

alcohol, which allowed for smaller amounts of raw materials to be used than in the ancient process, by which

flower petals were soaked in warm oil. This knowledge was carried back to European monasteries during the

Crusades.