Scent, Colour and Glitter in the Ancient World - Bookswagon
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Home > History and Archaeology > History > History: specific events and topics > Social and cultural history > Scent, Colour and Glitter in the Ancient World: A Comparative History of Aromatics, Cosmetics and Adornment, from the Mediterranean to the China Seas
Scent, Colour and Glitter in the Ancient World: A Comparative History of Aromatics, Cosmetics and Adornment, from the Mediterranean to the China Seas

Scent, Colour and Glitter in the Ancient World: A Comparative History of Aromatics, Cosmetics and Adornment, from the Mediterranean to the China Seas


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About the Book

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.

Table of Contents:
List of Illustrations and Maps Preface Acknowledgements Note on Transliteration INTRODUCTION and a Note on the Origins PART I. FROM EGYPT TO MESOPOTAMIA CHAPTER 1. To see ‘with the eyes of Horus’– The legacy of Egyptian papyri CHAPTER 2. A seductive goddess as a model of vanity PART II. THE IRANIAN WORLD AND THE INDO- IRANIAN BORDERLANDS CHAPTER 1. The highlands beckon CHAPTER. 2. The Elamite World CHAPTER 3. In search of Marhashi CHAPTER 4. The Indo-Iranian borderlands. CHAPTER 5. The Oxus (Amu Darya) and Greater Khorasan CHAPTER 6. Backdating innovation: Cosmetics, aromatics, and personal adornment CHAPTER 7. Presages of empire. PART III. THE AGE OF EMPIRES, RELIGIONS and SCIENCE CHAPTER 1. A historical overview CHAPTER 2. Imperial opulence CHAPTER 3. The glitter of non-imperial elites CHAPTER 4. The backlash CHAPTER 5. Science and magic PART IV. THE ROAD TO CHINA CHAPTER 1. All about silk CHAPTER 2. ‘Chiangkenomania’ CHAPTER 3. The maritime route Chapter 4. Joys and woes under the Tang CHAPTER 5. Drugs and Aromatics Chapter 6. Cosmetics and Pigments Chapter 7. Jewellery and Adornment Bibiliography

About the Author :
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.

Review :
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! 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. 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.


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Product Details
  • ISBN-13: 9780755656820
  • Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
  • Binding: Hardback
  • Language: English
  • Sub Title: A Comparative History of Aromatics, Cosmetics and Adornment, from the Mediterranean to the China Seas
  • ISBN-10: 0755656822
  • Publisher Date: 11 Dec 2025
  • Height: 234 mm
  • No of Pages: 520
  • Width: 156 mm


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Scent, Colour and Glitter in the Ancient World: A Comparative History of Aromatics, Cosmetics and Adornment, from the Mediterranean to the China Seas
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