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Perfume in Pylos: Recreating a Bronze Age Scent

1. pylos_perfume.jpg
Getty Villa
17985 Pacific Coast Hwy
Pacific Palisades, California 90272
https://www.getty.edu/visit/villa/
Saturday, October 18, 2025 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Free

Perfume was a thriving industry in Late Bronze Age Greece. In this presentation and sensory experience, archaeologist Cynthia Shelmerdine shares the Mycenaean evidence that reveals the materials, production methods and people involved in the process. Perfumer Michael Nordstrand then recounts how he recreated both a 3,000-year-old perfume and a variation interpreted for a modern audience. Attendees will have the opportunity to compare both versions on scent strips before joining a Q&A moderated by curator Claire Lyons.

Presented by J. Paul Getty Trust
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