Le “città profumate” attraverso Teofrasto e Apollonio Mys

Ancient perfumery is not yet fully investigated. While archaeological studies mostly focus on the places of perfume production and on perfume containers, many other themes still need be clarified from a historical point of view: like, for instance, the botanical identification of some aromatic plants; the different aromatic power of some ingredients, according to their geographical origin; the ‘perception’ of perfumes as sweet or bitter that we find in the Greek and Roman culture. In a so wide range of topics, this paper discusses the secrets of the ancient perfumery ‘revealed’ by Theophrastus in the treatise On Smells, and takes into account the change of perfume markets and the emergence and decline of some fragrances attested by the physician Apollonius Mys.