Would you carry plant oil and perfume in tiny bottles around your neck? Romans did.

Perfume was used for its sensual pleasure, but also burned with offerings to appease the gods, and to ward off disease.

Rather than alcohol, the base of Roman perfume was oil and fat—olive, bitter almond oil—or the juice of unripe grapes.

The scented materials were mainly imported from Greek city states or other Mediterranean ports like Alexandria in Egypt. Roses, pomegranates, lavender, quinces, grapes, rosemary, basil and, if you could afford it, cinnamon myrrh, classic incense, resins, or roots.

Perfume was priced for its ingredients and bottle. Bottles could be highly decorated with gems, made of alabaster, bronze, lead, silver, or gold. Around their necks, Roman women would tie on a bottle shaped like a sphere, pear, dove, woman’s head, or cup. The ones pictured are tubes, from Rome and Alexandria.

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