Thursday, May 7, 2026

Historical Sketch: Tappūtī-Bēlet-Ekallim

 

Tapputi is a fascinating figure not only in the history of chemistry, but also in the history of cosmetics. Her surviving recipes showed a mastery of using scientific techniques alongside natural ingredients. Here’s what history remembers of her:

-Mesopotamian woman who lived around 1200 BCE

-Tablets identify her as the mistress of a household and a manufacturer of perfume

-She was known to have written a manual on making perfume

-Recognized as the world’s first chemist

-The second half of her name refers to her role as “mistress of the palace”

-Only two mentions of her: one tablet in the Louvre, the other in the Girl Museum

-Surviving recipes state that she used flowers, oil, and calamus, along with cyperus, myrrh, and balsam

Source: https://www.thearchaeologist.org/blog/the-3200-year-old-perfume-of-tapputi-the-first-female-chemist-in-history-came-to-life-again

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