Archaeologists working in the Saqqara necropolis have unearthed a significant storage complex belonging to a high-ranking guild of scent merchants from the Old Kingdom. The facility contains dozens of sealed alabaster jars, many still retaining the faint aroma of cedar, frankincense, and myrrh resins used in royal mummification and courtly rituals during the 5th Dynasty.
The Saqqara discovery includes a sophisticated inventory room where scribes recorded the arrival of precious aromatics from the Land of Punt. This provides new insights into the logistical networks of the Pharaohs and the immense economic value of perfumery in ancient Egyptian society. The site also yielded several inscribed limestone tablets detailing the exact ratios used for sacred temple incense.