As you know, many stories of working women have been lost over time or are still unknown to a large part of society. This is because women were also pioneers in some scientific fields, and this has allowed our knowledge of the world to advance. In fact, back in 2354 BC, the daughter of King Sargon of Mesopotamia was responsible for creating astronomical observatories within temples, with the help of priests. However, the role of these women has not been valued and, in many cases, has not come to light. An example of this is Tapputi, the first female chemist and perfumer.
When did Tapputi live?
We have to travel back to 1200 BC and focus on Babylon. That is where Tapputi-Belatekallim (Belaketallim means "palace supervisor") became the first female chemist interested in making perfumes. Tapputi was a palace advisor in Babylon, and as we mentioned in another post, women were often in charge of agricultural tasks and those related to food. This is how this woman became a collector of plants, fruits, and flowers, with which she would create her mixtures and give birth to the first perfume in history.
And how do we know all this about Tapputi?
Well, thanks to archaeological excavations, a cuneiform tablet was found (cuneiform was the writing system used in many regions of the Near East, such as in the city of Babylon, where everything is wedge-shaped). This tablet shows what would be, today, a pharmacy, and it told the story of our protagonist, Tapputi. Thanks to this story, we know that Tapputi did not work alone because the tablet shows her accompanied by another woman, Ninu. These two were alchemists who used oils, flowers, myrrh, or cypress to create perfumes. Imagine what these women were doing back then! A complete revolution: they distilled essential oils, made tinctures...
The tablet shows how she made her preparations: she used flowers, oils, plants, and Cyperus Calamus (calamus). She also used myrrh and balm. Subsequently, Tapputi added distilled water to this mixture and filtered it several times. She experimented with distillation and other fragrance extraction techniques to create natural perfumes. Her goal was to obtain lighter, clearer, brighter aromas with greater reach and durability.
Furthermore, it can be inferred that Tapputi wrote the first treatise on perfumery in history, whose whereabouts are unknown today. The ability to perform all kinds of techniques allowed them to reach one of the highest positions in that society, and that is why Tapputi received the title of "Belatekallim." She was responsible for perfuming the king, and that was a recognized task.
And back then, were perfumes important?
Very much so. Perfume was a religious offering for the royal court and was used to anoint the icons that resided in the sanctuaries. In addition, in the ceremony they performed before marriage, it seems they created an aromatic ritual. The girl had to bathe with cedar oil and essential oils to purify her body. They even say that there were funerary trousseaus that included all kinds of cosmetic elements.