Gaby
An international team of researchers and experts from Turkey’s Association of Aromatic Culture and Tourism, which promotes ancient scents, have recreated Telinum — the perfume famously worn by Julius Caesar.
Their research found that ancient Romans favored simple perfume formulas. Common ingredients included rose, daffodil, crocus, saffron, and bitter almond. Sometimes, the sweat of gladiators was even added to perfumes.
But a prominent figure like Gaius Julius Caesar (100 BC – 44 BC) would have needed an extraordinary fragrance. Wealthy elites — leaders, generals, priests — imported perfumes from across the empire to set themselves apart. They also commissioned exclusive scents from the period’s top perfumers, Arkeonews reported.
What Experts Have Reported
Cenk Atila, an associate professor of archaeology at Sivas Cumhuriyet University in Turkey, led a special study on Caesar’s perfumes. He was assisted by renowned perfumers from Milan and Turkish fragrance designer Bihter Türkan Ergül.
They examined ancient written sources, including accounts from historians and Caesar’s contemporaries. Their work produced a fragrance with notes of mint, rose, lemon, bergamot, lavender, jasmine, water lily, violet, oud, cedar, patchouli, and amber. It also included iris and frankincense, two ingredients that were highly prized in ancient Rome and hard to obtain.
The Association of Aromatic Culture and Tourism said Caesar always drew attention with his lifestyle and dress. People were curious about the perfumes he used and who made them. Now that the scent’s composition has largely been uncovered, the association says it’s time to produce the perfume.
The team says Caesar’s favorite scent will be sold in cosmetic boutiques in Turkey, France, and Italy starting this October.
