Follow Cyprus immigration and listen to Cyprus stories: An archaeological team led by Maria Rosaria Belgiorno, curator of the Capitoline Museums in Rome, has discovered what is believed to be the world's oldest perfume workshop site in Cyprus—the Pyrgos-Mavroraki site. According to Belgiorno, archaeologists used essences extracted from residues in storage jars found at the site and employed the same techniques used in ancient perfume manufacturing to recreate four ancient perfumes.
Belgiorno said: "Today, we are accustomed to chemical and alcoholic scents, but these are much fresher fragrances that smell like herbs and spices, such as almond, coriander, myrtle, pine resin, and bergamot, rather than pure floral scents."
According to Belgiorno, technicians soaked the spices in water and oil for a long time and combined them with other ancient techniques to finally produce these four perfumes. The perfumes are named after four ancient Greek goddesses—Hera, Athena, Aphrodite, and Artemis—and are displayed behind glass. Visitors can lift the lids to smell the refreshing fragrance emanating from within. The exhibition also features 60 other artifacts, such as amphorae, jugs, grinding machinery, and distillation equipment discovered at the Pyrgos-Mavroraki site.