History of perfume began in antiquity. The word perfume is used today to describe scented mixtures and is derived from the Latin word, "per fumus", meaning through smoke. Perfumery, or the art of making perfumes,began in ancient Egypt but was developed and further refined by the Romans and the Arabs.Although perfume also existed in East Asia,much of its fragrances are incense based.The basic ingredients and methods of making perfumes are described by Pliny the Elder in his Naturalis Historia.
