Science has previously shown that sculptures from ancient Greece and Rome were frequently painted in warm colours. A recent study from Denmark has now discovered that some of these sculptures were also scented.
“A white marble statue was not intended to be perceived as a statue in stone. It was supposed to resemble a real god or goddess,” the study’s author, Cecilie Brons, said.
Brons is an archaeologist and curator at the Copenhagen Museum Glyptotek. She made the discovery after immersing herself in the works of Roman writers like Cicero and inscriptions on ancient Greek temples.
In Delos, Greece, temple inscriptions show that some statues were kept in good condition by rubbing them with rose-scented perfume.
