Beckmann S. — A-RE-PA: Minoan-Mycenaean Scents
Це слайди доповіді, не стаття
Виступ грецькою на 1-му симпозіумі з ароматичних і лікарських рослин (Айос-Ніколаос, 26.09.2015). Текст фрагментарний, OCR місцями розсипаний. Цитувати як доповідь, не як рецензовану публікацію.
Бібліографія: Beckmann S. A-RE-PA: Minoan-Mycenaean Scents — a view from 2000 B.C.E. to A.D. 2015. Talk, Agios Nikolaos, 26.09.2015. Academia ID 16572171. Назва — від лінійного B a-re-pa (ἄλειφαρ, «притирання, мазь»).
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A-RE-PA
Minoan-Mycenaean Scents
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a view from 2000 B.C.E. to A.D. 2015
Sabine Beckmann PhD University of Crete
Talk given (in Greek) with the title Μι ωι ή α ω α ο οιΐα at the 1.Σ ιο Αι θη η ίω Ο ά ω αι Γ ι ω ία , Agios Nikolaos, Crete, 26.9.2015
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Perfume culture in the Middle Bronze Age Eastern
Mediterranean
Chamalevri, Rethymnon,Crete – Middle Bronze Age Perfume workshop. Chemical analysis showed traces of Iris aroma in many ceramic vessels. See: M. Andreadaki-Vlazaki in: Tzedakis, Y. and Martlew, H. Minoans and Mycenaeans: Flavours of their time. National Archaeological Museum, 12 July-27 November 1999, p. 45.
There is also a very impressive Middle Bronze Age perfume workshop in Cyprus Pyrgos-Mavroraki, see Maria Rosaria Belgiorno/Italian Archaeological Mission at Pyrgos, www.pyrgos-mavroraki.eu; especially the arti le: Ci ra, C prus a d the otes of usi , of i e a d perfu es.
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Middle Mi oa A a. B.C. „Cha aizi juglets fro e.g. Chamaizi, Malia, Kritsa, seem to have the ideal shape for viscous unguents/salve – were they used for perfume?
For more information see e.g.: Milan, Soledad, Chamaizi juglets from Malia, at: www.academia.edu/2630389/CHAMAIZI_JUGLETS_FROM_MALIA
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Chamalevri, Bolanis workshop, MM IA (ca. 2100 B.C.):
tiny cup (3 cm!) – for perfume measuring?
Analysis showed: Iris oil (Iris germanica) and beeswax
Cf. Tzedakis, Y. and Martlew, H. (eds.) Minoans and Mycenaeans: Flavours of their time. National Archaeological Museum [exhibition catalogue] Athens 1999, p. 47.
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Late Bronze Age (1350-1200 B.C.): more information through written documents
Linear B tablet (LM III B) from Mycenae, House of the Oil Merchant, MY Ge 605+
Mentioning ko-ri-a-da-na (coriander), ku-mi-no (cumin), ka-ra-ko (pennyroyal?)
Cf. Tzedakis and Martlew (eds.), Minoans and Mycenaeans, Flavours of their time, fig. 268.
KO - RI - JA - DA - NA (coriander)
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Late Bronze Age: Late Minoan/Mycenaean (1500-1200 B.C.E.) pottery shapes used for graves – and trade/gifts?
Analysis of a
similar jug showed
pure olive oil.
Perfumed oil
would also be
an option.
The decoration of this
jug was used as logo
of this presentation
and for the label of
the perfumed oil
mixture handed out
as gift to participants.
LM III B (ca. 1300 B.C.) Stirrup jar, Armenoi tomb 211 - height 13 cm
Cf. Tzedakis and Martlew, (eds.) Minoans and Mycenaeans, Flavours of their time, fig. 268
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Late Minoan/Late Cycladic Aroma in various forms:
I e se a d oil ased „perfu e
Fresco of Priestess (?), House of Ladies Knossos Palace, Olive relief Fresco Fresco, Akrotiri, Thera (photo Wikipedia) (photo http://web.grinnell.edu, 2003)
Various resins have been used in the Bronze Age for incense, and olive oil as fatty base for fluid and viscous perfumes or scented mixtures (that may have had medical and religious uses, too) For more information on Minoan incense burning cf. https://ritaroberts.wordpress.com/ 26/9/2015 Beckmann A-RE-PA 7
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Bronze Age Incense: Cretan options for resin
Pistacia terebinthus , gall (terebinth) Cypressus sempervirens
Chemical analyses of Minoan vessels with traces of burning showed also traces of some kind of „tere i th resi . Whi h spe ies e a tl is ot lear. I Crete – apart from Pistacia lentiscus – only Pistacia terebinthus grows, Pistacia atlantica, as found in the Uluburun wreck (ca. 1350 B.C.E.) would have been an import from further east (Rhodes,Chios,Cyprus,Levant).
For more information on the possible role of terebinth in Bronze Age cult see my article at academia.edu: Beckmann, S. Resin and Ritual Purification. Terebinth in Eastern Mediterranean Bronze Age Cult. In: Stampolides et al, Athanasia. Iraklion (2012). 26/9/2015 Beckmann A-RE-PA 8
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For oil-based perfumes: Minoan favourite scents from favourite plants?
Blue Bird Fresco, Knossos MM III (ca. 1650 B.C. E.) showing mints, irises and pomegra nate
For more information on the plant symbolism and the interpretation of plants on Minoan Frescoes see several articles on my page at academia.edu. 26/9/2015 Beckmann A-RE-PA 9
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Aromatic plants and substances mentioned in Minoan-
Mycenaean archives (examples)
• ko-ri-ja-do-no (coriander seed), cf. κο ία ο , ο ία ο • ma-ra-tu-wo (fennel,) cf. ά αθο , ά αθ ο • mi-ta i t f. ί θα • ku-pa-ro (cyperus, galingale?), cf. κύ ος , ι ο , αι ο • ki-ta-no (a part of terebinth cf. Hesychius: κ ίτα ος – τ ι θος • ideogram *144 CROC = saffron (no known word in Linear B/Mycenaean, but the syllable „‘/Lai- is used so eti es • MU (? Myrrha? Myro? Myrtos?) Mysterious commodity mentioned in KN only, always together with 4 times as much oil, measured in whole units (Pieces/chunks? Whole products?)
It is not clear from the known sources if dried or fresh materials were used
More information: Chadwick, John and Michael Ventris, 1973 Documents in Mycenaean Greek
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Aromatic plants in Minoan/Mycenaean perfumery used in my experimental unguent oil
Mint – Mentha spp. (I used fresh Mentha aquatica Mint on the Blue Bird Fresco, from my garden, Lakonia, Ag. Nikolaos) Knossos ca. 1650 B.C.E.
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„MU – se o è ero, è e trovato: Myrtus communis
The pleasa t fresh s e t of rtle should t
miss in this perfume mix.
I used these leaves from my garden (Lakonia,
Ag. Nikolaos).
Myrtle has been employed extensively in all the
eastern Mediterranean since antiquity for
ritual and healing purposes.
Photo bottom left:
Myrtle leaves contain ethereal oil in small
vesicles, visible as yellow dots. Hence the
use of fresh leaves seems a good idea for
fragrant mixtures.
The question of which was the still unidentified
with certainty ku-pa-ro „k peiro a d if it
may have had a similar function in Bronze
Age aroma has still to be answered.
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Ma-ra-tu-wo ( ά αθο ) Foeniculum vulgare
Fennel is indigenous to all the
Mediterranean and widely
used in medicines (since
antiquity) and cooking (the
young shoots in winter as
vegetable).
Its ancient Aegean (?) name has
hardly changed in Greek for
over 3000 years.
For the experimental perfume I
used the dry fruit of wild
plants (Lakonia, Ag. Nikolaos).
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Ko-ri-ja-do-no ( ο ία ο, ο ία ο ) Coriandrum sativum
No wild growing Coriander is known, although it
is believed to have its origin in the
Mediterranean.
Coriander is a plant with many uses (green plant
and seed), the smell/taste of the fresh leaves
(cilandro), reminding some of bugs (see the
etymologies below) is controversially seen as
either pleasant or displeasing.
The name has various possible etymologies:
„It is usuall put i to relatio ith koris ό ι
bug, because of the aroma of the leaves, but
The coriander seed used in my it is more probably a loan from an ancient perfume was grown in Greece, a Mediteranean tongue and might be distantly few years ago I grew it successfully related to Greek karo ά ο u i . in my garden. http://gernot-katzers-spice-pages.com/engl/Cori sat.html
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Terebinth – „ ί α ο – ι θο Pistacia terebinthus
The subject of which part exactly of the
terebinth tree (and which Pistacia
species) was used in the Bronze Age
is still under discussion (see above).
ki-ta-no in its explanation by Hesychius
as just „tere i th lea es arious
options:
Resin – Fruit – Oil.
I used the whole nearly ripe fruit, that
contains some fatty oil as well as
resin (see photo, the clear drops are
resin where fruit has broken off),
pounded with oilve oil , from Lakonia,
Ag. Nikolaos
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Saffron Crocus – Crocus sp.
Linear B tablet KN Np 85 dealing with Crocus on Minoan fresco fragment from saffron (weighed in the same units as gold) Knossos, Archaeological Museum Iraklion
Saffron occurs in Linear B only in Knossos (not in the other Mycenaean archives). The entry is usually an ideogram, not a word, so eti es the s lla le „‘ai/Lai i the for of a crocus is used. Was its Bronze Age name something like „Lairio ? f. I doeuropea ords for „flo er like „lil , a . Greek ί ιο ). In Crete Cro us is toda ofte alled „kri aki , „little lil . I used „Krokos Koza is Crocus sativus) for Crocus oreocreticus, one of the possible the perfu e, a ki d gift fro „Melissa her Cretan Bronze Age saffron plants (red listed) . shop, Ag. Nikolaos. Katharo plain, Ag. Nikolaos (1200 m) 26/9/2015 Beckmann A-RE-PA 16
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„Mi oa -style perfume production 2015
Raw materials and tools for Minoan-style Straining the oil after soaking the aromatic perfume making plants for 2 weeks. (At Bronze Age perfume work- shops funnels and vessels were ceramic!).
At the end of this first stage I had obtained
several different aromatized oils. Especially
interesting: Saffron (the small bottle) does not
give off much of its (water soluble) colourants to
oil, hence can be re-used for dyeing after giving
off its perfume.
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Finishing the perfume
Why this kind of mixture?
Heating the mixed plant aromatized oil with beeswax to melt the wax. • Oil is the carrier substance • Plants give the main body of aroma • Resins are fixatives to stabilise the volatile components • Beeswax gives a stable, more viscous texture (hence no bottles but vases) • Honey is also a fixative
In the times of Theophrastus salves like this
ere heated i hot ater „ ai - arie
so as to prevent overheating.
We do not know how the Minoans may have
achieved this (may be just by being
careful).
The finished mixture is fluid when hot and
viscous to hard when cold.
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The uses of perfumed oil
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Aromatherapy and cosmetics -
Phytotherapy -
s e t a d lu ur o je t for „ o spi uous o su ptio of elites e a ple: to of terebinth resin - from Pistacia atlantica – found in the shipwreck of Uluburun, eastern Aegean, ca. 1350 B.C.E.)A valuable trade commodity (because of the above qualities and the pleasurable -
the walls of the Rekhmire Tomb, Egypt, ca.1500 B.C.E., showing men in typical central Aegean Bronze Age garments carrying all kinds of valuable gifts, mainly various vessels (some of which may have contained perfume). Example 2: The three magi bringing frankincese, myrrh and gold to the newborn Christ to show they recognize him as a king.A prese t et ee ki gs, e a ple: the Aegea or Mi oa delegatio , pai ted o - I religious ere o ies i ge eral: „ “pi es a d oils … reate a se se of ele atio a o e the ph si al orld of de a . Wikipedia Le a Hol a oi ti g oil , f. E odus 30:22-25. Modern o ti uit : f. Hol a oi ti g oil i Christia religio : hris a d the orthodo Ά ιο Μ ο are ele e tar for Christia ritual ote: Christos as a title for Jesus ea s the a oi ted o e .
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Let us hope that some of the aforementioned qualities will also be bestowed on us when savouring the fragrance of a good perfume. Thank you for your interest!
Another autumn-flowering, Aegean kind of aromatic saffron
crocus (Crocus laevigatus , note the long, divided stigmata).
North-east Cretan coast, November.
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