The Perfume of Babylonian Chemistry for the Distillation of Cypress Oil

The clay cuneiform tablets discovered in the ancient city of Assur, cataloged among the records of the Middle Babylonian and Assyrian periods around 1200 BC, constitute the oldest written document in the history of chemistry that immortalizes the name of the first female chemist and perfumer in human history: the Babylonian lady "Tapputi-Belatekallim", who held the position of royal palace supervisor and its foremost expert in the distillation and extraction of fragrances. These tablets reveal a precise technical recipe for the preparation of royal cypress oil, an oily and aromatic compound of a ritual nature used to anoint the bodies of kings and purify the sanctuaries of the gods in Babylon and Assyria, showing an early Babylonian knowledge of sublimation, filtration, and thermal condensation methods centuries before the invention of the alembic.
This recipe is composed of specific plant elements including cypress wood and its tender needle-like leaves, the aromatic reed known in cuneiform as calamus grass, the roots of the aromatic sedge plant (tiger nut), and drops of myrrh resin imported via caravan routes, all added to a liquid base composed of pure pressed sesame oil and boiled well water free of calcareous minerals. These ingredients are distinguished by containing terpenic compounds and powerful volatile oils characterized by their ability to endure and remain stable for long hours, in addition to their effective properties in repelling insects, combating skin germs, and perspiration odors in the abrasive climate of Mesopotamia.

The cuneiform text describes the complex preparation mechanism that required several consecutive days inside double-walled clay ovens; the work began by coarsely crushing the cypress wood and aromatic reed, macerating them in pure water inside a hermetically sealed ceramic vessel that was heated with the faint heat of ashes for a full day to extract the initial juices. Next, "Tapputi" explains the rudimentary aqueous distillation phase by covering the vessel with stretched woolen cloths that captured the rising vapors and condensed them, to then periodically squeeze these cloths into an independent container in order to separate the volatile oils from the heavy water, repeating this thermal cycle several times to increase the purity and concentration of the compound.
In the subsequent phase, pure sesame oil was poured over the condensed liquid and reheated along with myrrh resin powder and sedge roots until the oil completely absorbed the aromas and entirely lost its aqueous moisture to prevent rancidity. Then, the solution was emptied while still warm through densely woven linen cloth filters to rid it of fine plant sediments. The preparation was left inside clay jars coated with bitumen on the inside and sealed with damp clay in dark, cool rooms until it completely settled, finally transforming into a honey-colored, pleasantly scented oil that overflows with the fragrance of conifer forests and the warm spicy nuances that characterized the elite of the Babylonian royal court.