Realtà o illusione? Considerazioni sull’uso delle fonti letterarie nella ‘replica’ dei profumi antichi

The recreation of the ancient perfumes has been and continues to be a widespread ambition. Some research projects have explicitly aimed at reproducing ancient fragrances. They begin with information gleaned from organic residues surviving in some containers, com-bining it with data from literary sources, particularly Pliny the Elder and especially Dios-corides. A closer reading of the texts, the contextualization of the ‘recipes’ within the over-all theme of the writings, and the evaluation of the ingredients based on the principles governing botany cast considerable doubt on this endeavor. At present, it appears more like an ideal aspiration than a realistically achievable goal.