Laurence Totelin will examine some of the interactions between perfumery and pharmacy in the Greek and Roman worlds. The study includes the reasons why ancient physicians used perfumes as part of their treatments, the ways in which medical texts inform us about ancient perfumes, and the role of perfumers in ancient medicine. Drawing upon literary and archaeological sources, she will show that ancient medicine was highly dependent on the perfume trade, which had access to numerous precious ingredients which could be difficult to find.

Laurence Totelin is Professor of Ancient History at Cardiff University. She is an expert on Greek and Roman science, technology, and medicine, with a specific focus on pharmacy, botany, and the history of cosmetics. Her recent books include the edited volumes A Cultural History of Medicine in Antiquity (Bloomsbury, 2021) and, with Mark Bradley and Victoria Leonard, Bodily Fluids in Antiquity (Routledge, 2021).

The talk will be delivered on Zoom and also livestreamed on our YouTube channel.

Register here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/perfumery-pharmacy-the-greek-and-roman-history-of-a-match-made-in-heaven-tickets-470118165087

Image credit: Glass unguentarium (perfume bottle), 3rd century BC, Metropolitan Museum of Art. Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917. Accession number 17.194.784.