AlchemEast Reading Seminar delivered by Sean Coughlin
Abstract. The Mendesian is an ancient Egyptian unguent known to us only through Greek and Latin sources. It was produced in Mendes, on the eastern Nile delta, at least until the end of the Ptolemaic kingdom, and it was one of the most sought after and expensive aromas in antiquity. Even Plato is said to have used it to adorn his symposia. This reading seminar will go over some issues that came up as we tried to identify its ingredients and method of production, and what happened when we tried to replicate it.
March 1, 2019 @ 10:30 AM, Department of Philosophy and Communication Studies, Bologna