For most Egyptians, life was lived in the street; the house was for sleeping, keeping possessions, cooking, and receiving guests. In the height of summer, most people even probably slept on the roof. This lifestyle was not exclusive to the poor either; the rich spent most of their time in colonnades and semi-open rooms. As a result, most Egyptians most of the time were exposed to the aromas of the street, most of which would have been highly unpleasant. Yet, for the Egyptians, pleasant smells were considered the ultimate mode of enjoyment. In fact, the god associated with sensory pleasures, Nefertem, was represented by the lotus blossom due to that flower’s sweet scent. For the Egyptians, love entered through the nose. For example, the scene on the back of one of Tutankhamun’s gold thrones (Egyptian Museum, Cairo JE 62028) depicts the king’s wife Ankhesenamun presenting her husband with a bouquet of flowers to his nose. As a result of this paradox – the esteem for pleasant smells, and the overall unpleasantness of the daily aromas of Egypt – the Egyptians turned to perfumes.

Worn mostly in the form of scented oils, perfumes were used by all social classes in all parts of Egypt. The characteristic scents of the Egyptians – lotus, rose, myrrh, saffron, cardamom, frankincense, cinnamon – were renowned for their richness, and Egyptian parfumiers noted for their exceptional skill. A perfume known as the Mendesian, from the Greek name of the Egyptian deme (county) of Mendes, is often called the Chanel No. 5 of the ancient world; the ultimate luxury perfume, worn all over the Mediterranean. The favourite perfume of Cleopatra VII, Egypt’s legendary final Queen, Mendesian perfume was a concoction of myrrh oil (ntyw) and cinnamon which became Egypt’s most popular export to the Graeco-Roman world. Bottles of perfume, known as alabastra from the traditional material, alabaster, from which they were made, were a characteristic Egyptian product and one which commonly found its way into tombs. Much like we would imagine a brand in the modern day, the specific forms of Egyptian perfume bottles were recognised throughout the ancient Mediterranean, and were considered a mark of quality, proof of legitimate Egyptian origins. Of course, these alabastra were imitated throughout the Mediterranean, especially on Cyprus, perhaps in an attempt to defraud consumers

This Egyptian alabastron is of a traditional type, with a pointed almost conical body, horizontal shoulder, thin neck, and two small lug handles which protrude from the side. These tiny handles may be a fossilized remnant of the lug handles of larger vessels of a similar shape, but could also be designed as aids for holding the alabastron when it is slick with perfumed oil. The small size of this, and other, alabastra, indicates the high value of the contents. Unable to stand on its own, this alabastron was probably kept in some kind of stand or cosmetics box, and was probably stoppered with a wad of linen or something similar. This alabastron was most likely part of a burial assemblage, to ensure that the spirit (ka) of the individual was well-supplied with their favourite scent in the afterlife. However, perfumes were not only a private enjoyment. The gods, too, esteemed good smells, and their statues were anointed daily. A whole set of ritual alabastra designed for this process were created also.

References: this piece corresponds to Petrie's no. 924 (Petrie, W. M. F. (1937) The Funeral Furniture of Egypt, with Stone and Metal Vases. London.).