The SCENTS of EGYPT WORKSHOP SERIES explores the Olfactive History of Ancient Egyptian Culture with Egyptologist Dora Goldsmith.
(Check out the new series here)
This is a comprehensive certificate program for those who attend the complete series, taking place over seven weeks via LIVE* Zoom sessions. Begin the series with whatever class you desire, or just take one!
Each class offers live instruction with handouts with a period of time reserved for Q&A. For those attending the complete series, we have created a dedicated community (not on Facebook) where students can ask questions and share with other students as they move through each class.
Besides the live instruction and handouts, Dora has meticulously assembled kits containing plant materials from the authentic locations we will be studying. The kits are NOT required but are a rare treat to indulge your knowledge.
Find a description of each class in this series below, followed by a link to the page describing the kits with images.
If you are an aromatherapy practitioner you will receive: 3 NAHA CE credits per class.
*The workshops take place LIVE on Sundays at 6pm Berlin, Germany time, use the time zone converter here to calculate the time in your city.
KYPHI
In this workshop you will learn how to recreate ancient Egyptian incense, called Kyphi, from written sources.
STRUCTURE
- Lecture about Kyphi, reading and understanding the recipe. Students will receive a copy of the original hieroglyphic text which includes a translation and explanations. Dora will guide us through the text and present an overview of the history of the recipe.
- Learn detailed insights into the materials and their significance for the Egyptians as well as the reasons behind their use. We will review the translated formula in detail and learn two different ways to prepare Kyphi.
- Q&A discussion
UNGUENT CONES
In this workshop you will learn about and recreate what unguent cones could have looked like in ancient Egypt.
STRUCTURE
- Dora will give a lecture on the topic of unguent cones including all the written, archaeological and pictorial evidence. We will learn theory vs. evidence: What is just a theory and what do we really have evidence for? What was the exact function of unguent cones? What does the written record concerning the sense of smell tell us about these cones? How does the hieroglyphic script and classifier research assist us in understanding the function of these enigmatic artifacts?
- Dora will provide detailed insight into the materials and teach us how to recreate unguent cones.
- Q&A discussion
TEMPLE SMELLS
Throughout this class we will explore the olfactory world of the gods of Egypt and discover the social, cultural and religious value of each scent that was present ancient Egyptian temples.
STRUCTURE
- Lecture about the fragrant offerings in the temple and their social, cultural and religious significance. Dora will give a lecture about the fragrant offerings in the temples and reconstruct its overall smellscape. The sufficient written evidence allows for a precise reconstruction of the smell of the temple, which reoccurred on a daily basis in a small, confined space.
- Dora will provide a detailed insight into each scent of the Temple smellscape. We will be guided on how to recreate the overpowering smell of temples in a bottle, which was one of the most significant scents of ancient Egyptian culture.
- Q&A discussion
GARDEN SCENTS
Throughout this class, you will learn about all the plants and the intoxicating scents that surrounded the ancient Egyptians after the inundation of the Nile. We will discover the olfactory landscape of ancient Egypt’s lost orchards and vegetable gardens.
STRUCTURE
- Lecture about fragrant flowers, herbs, fruits and vegetables in ancient Egypt and their social, cultural and religious significance, as well as the flower bouquets presented to gods and kings, flower garlands worn on festive occasions, aphrodisiacs used during banqueting, and the so-called “garden scent” that was so important to the Egyptians that they regarded it as an object on its own.
- Insights into each scented ingredient, their significance for the Egyptians and the reasons behind their use. We will be guided through how to recreate the refreshing essence of an ancient Egyptian garden in a bottle!
- Q&A discussion
SCENTS of LOVEMAKING
Throughout this class, we will explore the olfactory world of lovemaking and sexuality in ancient Egypt.
STRUCTURE
- Dora will give a lecture on the topic of scents of lovemaking in ancient Egypt. You will:
- Learn about gods of the Egyptian pantheon related to sexuality through the sense of smell, such as Amun, Min and Hathor.
- Have a look at olfactory symbols of love in ancient Egyptian love poetry.
- Discuss how one had to smell in order to be considered attractive in ancient Egypt and what substances the Egyptians used as an aphrodisiac.
- Explore and gain insight into the specific scented materials. Learn how to recreate the smellscape of love making in ancient Egypt based on the love poems.
- Q&A discussion
MUMMIFICATION & the AFTERLIFE
Throughout this class, you will learn about the scents that defined the mummification chambers and tombs, and the fragrances that the ancient Egyptians themselves wished to be surrounded by in their life after death.
STRUCTURE
- Lecture about the fragrant substances employed during mummification.
- Detailed insights into the materials and the olfactory motivation for their use. We will be walked through the process of recreating the ancient Egyptians employed for embalming their dead. Don’t worry, the end result will be an exceedingly pleasant smell!
- Q&A discussion
Hknw, Meaning JOY(Ancient Egyptian Perfume)
In this class we will recreate a perfume called Hknw, meaning “joy” in Egyptian. This fragrance is one of the seven sacred oils used in the temples of Egypt to anoint the gods and in the process of mummification to preserve the dead.
The recipe is preserved on the walls of the Ptolemaic temple of Edfu. However, its existence can be traced back to as early as the 4th Dynasty. The recipe is long, complicated and intriguing. The attention to detail, the processing of the materials and the patience to make it (one year!) are fascinating.
STRUCTURE
- Lecture on the history of the seven sacred oils. We will investigate how the usage, religious significance and number of the oils changed throughout Egyptian history from the Old Kingdom until the Ptolemaic period. Special attention will be paid to documents discussing the Hknw perfume.
- Reading and understanding the recipe, followed by an insight into the materials. We will explore ways of recreating the ancient Hknw perfume
- Q&A discussion
-> Certification: Workshop Requirements
To receive a Certificate of Completion you must attend the complete series.
Since each workshop will be live and NOT recorded, it is important to make a commitment to attending.
-> Other details:
KITS: A limited number of kits are available, but NOT required.
IMPORTANT: Each of these classes are LIVE and not recorded, there are no refunds if you are not able to attend one or all of the classes.
This workshop and individual classes are copyrighted, no portion may be duplicated without written permission ©DoraGoldsmith
ABOUT OUR INSTRUCTOR: DORA GOLDSMITH
Dora Goldsmith is an Egyptologist whose research focuses on the sense of smell in ancient Egypt. Based on the written sources, Dora investigates the ancient Egyptians' perception of the world through the sense of smell and recreates their smellscape. Her published works include the concept of stench in ancient Egypt (2019), the scents of mummification (2019) and the smellscape of ancient Egyptian cities (2020). Dora has presented lectures and workshops around the world accompanied by her scent reconstructions, where the long-lost world of the ancient Egyptians comes back to life through the nose. Two of her scent reconstructions, the Mendesian and the scent of mummification, have been exhibited in museums around the world.