Divine Scents

A remarkable series of children’s books called Smelly Old History explains the basics of life in the ancient world with an unusual twist. They include scratch-and-sniff panels, which is what makes the books so appealing to kids. For example, in Mouldy Mummies, we learn that Egyptian homes suffered from rats; just scratch for a whiff of the premiere rat repellant: cat’s grease mixed with gazelle dung. But perhaps you’d prefer to smell the roses on Cleopatra’s barge? Roman Aromas offers this sweet scent along with the pungent odors of Celtic sweat and stuffed thrush soaked in fermented fish sauce.¹