Scents of Arabia: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Ancient Olfactory Worlds

Papers from a Special Session of the Fifty-fifth Meeting of the Seminar for Arabian Studies, held in Berlin on 6th August 2022
This volume explores the cultural significance of scents and incense in ancient Arabia through archaeology, biomolecular science, sensory studies, history, and ethnography. It highlights the social, ritual, and economic roles of aromatics, reframing olfaction as a key dimension of identity and heritage.

Scents of Arabia presents an innovative interdisciplinary exploration of the role of scents and incense in ancient Arabian societies. Bringing together leading experts in archaeology, biomolecular science, sensory studies, history, and ethnography, it reveals how aromatic substances were deeply embedded in social, ritual, and economic life across time. The book challenges traditional trade-focused narratives and instead highlights the complex, multisensory dimensions of scent - as a medium of communication, identity, and religious experience. Emphasizing the cultural agency of olfaction, the contributions of this book offer new frameworks for understanding how ancient societies perceived, used, and valued aromatic substances. This volume positions olfactory heritage as a key element of historical inquiry and advocates for its recognition within broader debates on intangible cultural heritage.

Contributor: Arnulf Hausleiter (Edited by), Barbara Huber (Edited by)

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