Overview

Aromatics, cosmetics and personal adornment have had a major role in the evolution of human society, particularly in the cradles of civilization between the Nile and the Indus. Far from being concerned with the frivolities of vain pursuits, their study touches on religion, cosmology, rituals and magic, life and the afterlife, sexuality and procreation, artistic expression, technology, craftsmanship, aesthetics, administrative structures, long­-distance trade and cross-cultural exchanges – in sum, all the essentials that underpin human civilization. This richly illustrated book provides a history of luxury items from the Neolithic period to late Antiquity. Egyptian and Mesopotamian cosmetics are discussed first, along with the vast region between the Nile and the Indus, with the Iranian plateau at its core. Through the latter, the book ventures westwards to the Greco-Roman world and eastwards to the Indian subcontinent and China. The differing focus of each chapter gives a fuller picture of the global role of aromatics, cosmetics and jewellery within a broader civilizational framework that includes archaeological discoveries that have come to light in the last six decades.

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Table of Contents

Reviews

Here is a captivating book perfumed by elegant prose and infused on each page with fascinating observations about humanity’s love of fragrance and our struggles to look good. We need more glitter in our study of antiquity! * Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones, Professor, Cardiff University, UK * This book is a veritable tour de force, captivating in the wide geographical expanse and historical depth it projects and in the myriad delightful details if offers. It shows that a history of aromatics, cosmetics and adornment in the ancient world is necessarily a global history; it assigns to Iran and its millennial succession of cultures the place it deserves in this history - at the centre. * Wouter F.M. Henkelman, Associate Professor, École Pratique des Hautes Études, France * Here's the perfect bedside book: a page turner and a treasury of curious erudition. It features crisp, elegant prose, enviable narrative flair, an unfailing grip of the big picture, intellectual courage and meticulous science-based scholarship. The author unveils a staggeringly rich panorama of intercontinental cosmetic practice and innovation from prehistory to modern times. * Robert Hillenbrand, Professor, The University of Edinburgh, UK *

Author Information

Fatema Soudavar (Farmanfarmaian) is an independent historian and writer. A fellow trustee of the SMF, her work on cosmetics and Iranian history has been published in Iranian Studies, Journal of Persianate Studies, and the Journal of the International Qajar Studies Association, as well as in multi-authored books.

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