It was the year 2004 to 2005 when archaeologists discovered in Pyrgos and Cyprus what many argue to be the world's oldest surviving perfumes that date back to more than 4000 years. Ancient perfumeries existed that made use of stills, mixing bowls and funnels and bottles to extract scents from flowers like jasmine, herbs like coriander, myrtle, bergamot and nuts like almonds and the like.
In the 9th century an Arab chemist named Al-Kindi wrote the Book of the Chemistry of Perfume and Distillations. It has more than 100 recipes for formulating fragrant oils, salves and aromatic waters. Similarly a Persian chemist Ibn Sina used to extract oils from flowers through distillation.
