Composition Record: The Adornment Fragrance

Status: Recorded
Authority: Cleopatra VII
Recorded by: Tamos, Perfumer to Cleopatra

Provenance: A composition record within the House’s imagined archive, set in Alexandria in the first century BCE. Attributed to Tamos, preparing a fragrance for personal adornment under royal instruction.

House Fragment — Koine Greek

πρὸς
κόσμησιν.

pros
kosmēsin.

For
adornment.

A fragrance prepared for royal adornment.

Record

The instruction was for a fragrance to be worn.

Not a message to be read.

No concealed meaning
was assigned to its composition.

Its purpose was daily adornment.

The distinction was clear
before the work began.

Materials Employed

Cinnamon of eastern origin.

Saffron from the earlier shipment.

Prepared lotus oil.

Orris root.

Bitter almond.

Balsam resin.

These were the materials named in the account.

Each was prepared before combination.

Their quantities and the particulars of their preparation are not entered here.

Intended Character

The opening was to be soft.

The fragrance was to deepen
without losing its balance,

and leave a presence
that remained.

No part was intended
to overwhelm the others.

These were the qualities sought.

There was no further instruction
to turn them into symbols.

Completion

When the composition was complete, it was transferred to an alabaster vial.

The vessel was sealed
before presentation.

What had occupied the perfumer’s chamber
could now be held in the hand.

Approval

The fragrance was presented to Cleopatra.

Approval was given
without alteration.

It was accepted
for the use for which it had been made.

Closing Record

Not every fragrance
was asked to carry a hidden meaning.

This one was prepared
to be worn.

The absence of a message
did not lessen the care.

---

✧

References

Theophrastus, Concerning Odours, §§15–16 and 27–28.
Ancient discussions of bitter-almond oil and aromatic materials used in perfumery, including saffron, iris root and cinnamon. Read the work (opens in a new tab).

Theophrastus, Concerning Odours, §41.
An account of vessels used to retain perfume, including alabaster. Read the passage (opens in a new tab).

The commission, its ingredients and Cleopatra’s approval belong to the House’s fiction. These references provide historical context for materials and vessels, not evidence of this particular fragrance or its preparation.