Ancient perfume recreated for anniversary show

When the decanter opens, close your eyes. Let the scent of a rose take you back millennia in time. The scent of antiquity, "Rodo" (Rose) has the feel of a primitive scented oil and is among the exhibits in the National Archaeological Museum's temporary exhibition hall, adding another facet to a never-ending search. 

The scent was created in the context of "Countless Aspects of Beauty," the museum's latest major temporary exhibition and the last installment in a trilogy of exhibitions to celebrate the museum's 150th anniversary. The exhibition opened to the public on Saturday, May 26.

The "optimistic" exhibition, as the museum's director, Dr Maria Lagogianni-Georgakarakos, describes it, explores the archaeology of the senses, revealing a diversity that is underpinned by something universal. There are many expressions of beauty that have been preserved to this day and the...