Queens and Perfumes in Ancient Egypt: Hatshepsut and Cleopatra: Egyptologist Dora Goldsmith joins the Institute for Art and Olfaction for the latest talk in the IAO’s Olfactory Research Notes series, sharing her research on royal perfumes in Ancient Egypt.

Ancient Egyptians queens have always captured our imagination and interest. They were smart and just rulers who had an outstanding appreciation for perfumes. However, there are two queens who were more than just perfume aficionados. Hatshepsut and Cleopatra were visionaries of perfumery, whose perfume inventions shaped the olfactory history of ancient Egypt and the entire Mediterranean in antiquity. In this, class Egyptologist Dora Goldsmith will teach you everything to know about ancient Egyptian queens and perfumes. As an added bonus, she will walk you through the reconstruction of Cleopatra’s famous perfume, the Mendesian, and teach you how to make it yourself.

This presentation will be followed by a question and answer session with attendees.

Takeaways and Learning Points:

• Queens: Which queens stand out in ancient Egyptian history as related to perfumes?
• Goddesses: How did goddesses influence queens in their olfactory practices? Which goddesses did queens try to emulate through scents and why?
• Perfumers: Who were the perfumers of queens and what do we know about them?
• Inventions: How did Hatshepsut and Cleopatra reinvent Egyptian perfumery? What were their innovations precisely and what prompted their new visions?
• Politics: How did Hatshepsut and Cleopatra use scents to establish their social status and strengthen their political career?
• Experimental archaeology: How can we replicate the Mendesian perfume in the modern age? Dora Goldsmith will explain what we know about the Mendesian based on written evidence and show you the perfume-making process step-by-step.