Workshop: Replications

16-17 July 2024

Participants: Victor Golubev (FLU / IOCB), Laura Prieto (FLU / IOCB), Sergei Prokvolit (MIT), Sean Coughlin (FLU/IOCB).

This workshop gathers chemists and historians of philosophy and science to tackle the multifaceted challenge of recreating ancient perfume recipes. It focuses on the epistemology, methodology and practicality of replicating recipes whose targets are unknown or poorly characterized. Through presentations of work-in-progress and practical sessions, participants examine the interpretation of historical texts, the limitations of contemporary chemistry in understanding ancient 'chemistry', and the complexities of sourcing and utilizing historical ingredients. By addressing these aspects, the conference aims to deepen our understanding of ancient perfumery and foster interdisciplinary dialogue on the replication of historical sensory experiences.

Tuesday 16 July 2024 (Alchemies of Scent and IOCB).

09:00–11:30. Practical Session 1 (Coughlin). Alchemies of Scent.

11.30-13.00. Lunch and move to IOCB.

13:00. Discussion Session. Welcome and Introduction (Coughlin).

13:10–14:00. Sergei Prokvolit. Perfume-Making in Ancient Babylon.

14:00–14:50. Laura Prieto. The Impossible Challenge of Recreating Ancient Perfumes.

14:50–15:00. Break.

15:00–15:50. Victor Golubev. Stypsis in Greco-Egyptian Perfumery.

15:50–16:00. Break.

16:00–16:50. Sean Coughlin (with results from Jakub Smrcek). Can we use modern chemistry to understand the ‘chemistry’ of the past? Case study: Myrrh and Stacte.

Wednesday 17 July 2024 (Alchemies of Scent, Husova 7).

09:00–12:00. Practical Session 2 (Prieto).

Workshop: Scents of Religious Authority

Alchemies of Scent, Department for the Study of Ancient and Medieval Thought, and the Centre for Medieval Studies, Institute of Philosophy, Czech Academy of Sciences

At this workshop, we take a cross-cultural look at the scents of religious authority in sources from Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece and Medieval Europe. We will read and smell about the scent of divinity and death as they pertain to religious figures and their claims to authority.

Monday 5 June 2023

10.00–10.30. Scent in the Egyptian Temple: Worshipping the Gods with Fragrance in the Daily Ritual (Heike Wilde)

10.40–11.10. "Death seems to me today like the fragrance of myrrh": Scent and stench in the Egyptian realm of the dead (Diana Míčková)

11.20–11.50. Later Greek Medical Sources of Religious Scents (Sean Coughlin)

12.00–13.30. Lunch

14.00–16.00. The Fragrance of Authority: Did Medieval Folks Smell Power? And Did Power Want to be Smelled? (Joëlle Rollo-Koster)

18.00. Dinner

Tuesday 6 June 2023

10.00–12.00. Smelling: rose, musks, balsam

12.00–13.30. Lunch

13.30–17.00. Blending and experiment

Location

In Person

Participation is free, but registration is required as space is limited. Email alchemiesofscent@flu.cas.cz to register.

Day 1 (Morning), Day 2: Husova 7, 110 00 Prague

Day 1 (Afternoon): Jilská 1, 110 00 Prague

Online (Hosted on Zoom)

Register here on EventBrite