The Getty Villa Museum hosted a unique sensory experience, bridging millennia by recreating the luxurious perfumes of Bronze Age Pylos.
Archaeologist Cynthia Shelmerdine and contemporary perfumer Michael Nordstrand presented their findings on how the ancient Mycenaean elite likely smelled, based on evidence from the Palace of Nestor.
The event, “Perfume in Pylos: Recreating a Bronze Age Scent,” highlighted a thriving industry detailed in the palace’s Linear B clay tablets, which functioned as ancient recipes and ingredient lists.
From clay tablets to concentrated perfumes
Dr. Shelmerdine’s work was vital in identifying the ingredients and methods used by Mycenaean perfumers. She explained that the perfumes were not modern alcohol-based sprays, but scented oils used for anointing, rituals, and bathing. The recipes specified botanicals and spices infused into an olive oil base.
Perfumer Nordstrand then took this historical data and produced two distinct formulations:
The “Ancient Headspace”: A faithful, though strictly theoretical, reconstruction of the scent using traditional methods, such as infusions in clay vessels.
The “Modern Interpretation”: A refined version using contemporary techniques and stable molecules to translate the ancient aroma for a modern audience.
Nordstrand noted that the ingredients listed on the tablets included coriander, rose, and sage. He added that the modern version was designed to evoke the ambiance of a fig harvest, a common agricultural scene in ancient Pylos.
The smell of ancient Pylos
Attendees at the Getty Villa were offered scent strips to compare both creations, revealing a stark contrast to modern fragrances.
The reconstructed ancient scent was described as dense, earthy, and herbal-spicy, dominated by the heavy, viscous nature of the olive oil base. Nordstrand also highlighted the use of labdanum, a gum resin collected from the cistus plant, which gave the scent a surprisingly rich, “plum-like note.”
This collaborative project provides a rare, tangible link to the daily life and sophisticated commerce of one of Greece’s most powerful Bronze Age kingdoms, demonstrating that the pursuit of luxury and fine fragrances is a tradition at least 3,000 years old.
Related: The Griffin Warrior: New Reconstruction Reveals Face of Greek Bronze Age Hero
