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Myrrh: An Aromatic Cultural History (online)
December 3, 2023 @ 10:00 am - 12:00 pm PST
$29.00
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“O Isis, giver of life, who dwells in the Pure Island, take to yourself the myrrh which comes from the Land of Punt…”
-Hymn to Isis carved on the walls of her temple at Philae
The bitter tears of Commiphora myrrha have fascinated and delighted humanity for aeons. These small lumps of gum resin may look unassuming but hold profound cultural and religious significance from Ancient Egypt to Modern China. We will follow this resin from its home range of East Africa, across communities and centuries, to the state of myrrh today.
In this class, we will survey the cultural history of myrrh as an aromatic, medicine, commodity, and ritual tool. We will examine myrrh’s importance in Near East religions, why it was worth its weight in gold, and what the future holds for myrrh in the face of over-harvesting and climate change.
This talk is part of the ongoing Scent and Society series, curated in 2023 by Nuri McBride.
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