Archaeologists working in southern Iraq have unearthed a specialized administrative building in the ancient Sumerian city of Umma. The site contains hundreds of cuneiform tablets that detail the operations of a state-run perfumery, including recipes for aromatic oils and records of floral imports.
The tablets list ingredients such as cedar oil, myrrh, and various resins, along with the names of female 'master perfumers' who oversaw the production. This discovery highlights the importance of the luxury scent industry in Mesopotamian society and provides the earliest known written evidence of chemical extraction for cosmetic purposes.