30 min
Scent back in time: how ancient odours can bring the past to life The PastCast
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- History
In Marcel Proust’s À la recherche du temps perdu, a single bite of a tea-dipped madeleine is enough to transport the author back into a vivid world of recollection. Our sense of smell is even more powerful in this respect than taste, however, with a direct route between the olfactory bulbs and the parts of the brain linked to emotion and memory.
This can be harnessed to great effect when creating atmospherically immersive experiences for museum exhibitions and heritage attractions – and for the last 50 years, specialists at AromaPrime have been creating bespoke scents to help bring the past to life.
On this episode of The PastCast, Liam R Findlay – Heritage Scenting Consultant at AromaPrime – discusses the company’s fascinating work, concocting everything from the scent of the embalmed mummies of Ancient Egypt to the breath of a Tyrannosaurus rex.
The work of AromaPrime is also the subject of an article in the latest issue of Current Archaeology magazine, which is out now in the UK, and is also available to read in full on The Past website. On this episode, Liam spoke with Current Archaeology editor Carly Hilts and regular PastCast presenter Calum Henderson.
The Past brings together the most exciting stories and the very best writing from the realms of history, archaeology, heritage, and the ancient world. You can subscribe to The Past today for just £7.99. If you enjoyed this podcast, please consider liking it, subscribing, and sharing it around.
In Marcel Proust’s À la recherche du temps perdu, a single bite of a tea-dipped madeleine is enough to transport the author back into a vivid world of recollection. Our sense of smell is even more powerful in this respect than taste, however, with a direct route between the olfactory bulbs and the parts of the brain linked to emotion and memory.
This can be harnessed to great effect when creating atmospherically immersive experiences for museum exhibitions and heritage attractions – and for the last 50 years, specialists at AromaPrime have been creating bespoke scents to help bring the past to life.
On this episode of The PastCast, Liam R Findlay – Heritage Scenting Consultant at AromaPrime – discusses the company’s fascinating work, concocting everything from the scent of the embalmed mummies of Ancient Egypt to the breath of a Tyrannosaurus rex.
The work of AromaPrime is also the subject of an article in the latest issue of Current Archaeology magazine, which is out now in the UK, and is also available to read in full on The Past website. On this episode, Liam spoke with Current Archaeology editor Carly Hilts and regular PastCast presenter Calum Henderson.
The Past brings together the most exciting stories and the very best writing from the realms of history, archaeology, heritage, and the ancient world. You can subscribe to The Past today for just £7.99. If you enjoyed this podcast, please consider liking it, subscribing, and sharing it around.
30 min