Robyn Price The Feel of Scent in Ancient Egypt
Channel: The Institute for Art and Olfaction
Date: 06/08/2020

Robyn Price speaks at the 4th Annual Experimental Scent Summit, presenting “The Feel of Scent in Ancient Egypt”.

Sensory experience in Ancient Egypt was conceptualized differently from the cognitive models popularized by Descartes and popular today. It is possible to perceive this difference by exploring how scent contributed to the organization and maintenance of Ancient Egyptian society. For example, unlike today where hygiene and cleanliness often are associated with dryness and sterility, the ancient Egyptians found sweet scented oils and unguents to be the most effective means of purifying spaces through their invocation of divine presence. In my talk, I will discuss how the ancient Egyptians conceived these sweet scents as indicators of divine presence, as well as share some of the implications of these beliefs.

Robyn Price is a PhD Candidate in the Cotsen Institute of Archaeology at the University of California, Los Angeles. She has participated in archaeological excavations in many countries, including: Cyprus, Israel, Spain, Egypt, Ethiopia, and in the US. Her interests include understanding how sensory experience, particularly that of smell, functions as an organizing factor in society, and with her research she seeks to humanize the past, working to make it more accessible and relevant to modern peoples. She has MA degrees from the University of Virginia and the University of Memphis in Linguistic Anthropology and Egyptian Art and Archaeology, respectively.

More information at dal.ucla.edu/robynprice/
Follow Robyn on Twitter: twitter.com/priroby1

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ABOUT ESS
A friendly, relaxed and conversational meeting of olfactory artists, the Experimental Scent Summit is an annual opportunity for participants to share their work while openly discussing the challenges of working with scent. All this and more in an unrestrained, non-competitive, supportive environment. ESS is a program presented by The Institute for Art and Olfaction and Smell Lab.