Prominent Roman emperor’s perfume recreated

ISTANBUL

The Scent Culture and Tourism Association, which highlights ancient perfumes, has recreated the “Telinum” perfume used by the Roman emperor Julius Caesar.

This adaptation, made with the consultancy of Associate Professor Cenker Atila from Sivas Cumhuriyet University's Archaeology Department, support from Milan perfumers, and the expertise of renowned Perfume Designer Bihter Türkan Ergül, brings the ancient scent into the present day.

The perfume, the product of a long work, contains ancient scents from rock rose to citrus and from oud to amber. The perfume will be on sale simultaneously in Türkiye, France and Italy as of October.

The Scent Culture and Tourism Association made a statement about the new perfume, saying that Caesar (100 - 44 B.C.), who visited all of Europe, Anatolia, Greece, the Aegean islands and Egypt during his years as a general, perfumes and cosmetics were extremely popular throughout the Mediterranean world in ancient times and had a huge commercial potential.

“Especially, high-level executives, generals, priests and the rich would import different perfumes from all over the world to smell different from everyone else or ordered leading perfumers of the age special perfumes for them,” the statement added.

“Caesar was a very famous general and dictator, and he always attracted the attention of the public with his lifestyle and clothing. The perfumes he used were also followed with great interest by the public. What Caesar smelled like, what was in his perfume, where he got his perfume or who made it for him had always been a matter of great curiosity. According to information provided by both ancient writers and works of his close friends, the contents of his perfumes have been largely determined. This perfume, signed by perfume designer Ergül, consists of the scents determined in the light of archaeological and historical data.”

The association said that the perfume features iris flower and rock rose, which were very popular in ancient times and were very difficult to find, as well as scents such as mint, rose, lemon, bergamot, lavender, jasmine, water lily, violet, oud cedarwood, patchouli and amber.

Considering today's costs, it is seen that the prices of some of these very rare and specially designed perfumes can go up to 200,000 Turkish Liras, the association added.