Perfume of different shapes, sizes, and smells, attracts the opposite sex today, as it has for 4,000 years. Queen Cleopatra wasn't only known for being an exquisite ruler of Egypt, she is also known for being involved with the invention of perfume. Cleopatra worked with different herbs and scents to bring together a certain smell, to arouse the opposite sex, and emphasize love connections. It has been said that Cleopatra used a "fatal fragrance" which men were weakened by and catered to her will. However, it was hypothesized that it was only incense, and when used properly at a right setting, it created peace, quiet, and romance. It was said that her chambers teemed with wonderful smells throughout. That rare incense would burn so if anyone would pass through to get to her, they would believe they were near a beautiful flower. Even Mark Anthony was so attracted to her chambers and became enslaved by her physical charms. Cleopatra's stories of her physical charms and perfumes are spread through many things such as sculptures, paintings, gems, and even perfumes named in her honor. Not only did she control Mark Anthony with her scents, she even conquered Julius Caesar! It was believed that when Cleopatra sailed to Tarsus, she covered the boat in her sweet scents so all the people would come to the show to see the arrival of the queen.

People have used perfumes for their physical wants for thousands of years, but back then it wasn't only used for attracting people, but it was also used for religious ceremonies. Making perfumes was considered an art in Ancient Egypt, the person creating it was considered an artist. If you look at the walls on the tombs of Petosiris, it shows the process of extraction with the making of perfume. The walls showed red berries being poured from containers to show the nature of the products being used to create different scents. Some of the plants which were used to make the scents were henna and cinnamon.

Perfume was mainly used by high society and the upper classes as well as kings who were believed to be descendants of the gods. The ancient Egyptians also believed gods were very fond of perfume. Perfume grew to be an important part of even deaths. Bodies were covered with perfume when mummification occurred, because they believed the perfume would lead them to the gods and would keep the demons away. It was said that 3,000 years after the death of Tutankhamen, you could still detect the smell of the perfume in his tomb.

The first form of perfume was incense. It was discovered by the Mesopotamian's, they would burn wood and other material in religious ceremonies. Also they soaked it in water and oil and rubbed it on their bodies. Incense made its way to Egypt around 3,000 B.C and became popular with Queen Hatshepsut.

The word perfume comes from the Latin term per fume "through smoke." As the Egyptians were the first to accustom perfume into their culture, followed by the Chinese, Hindus, Israelites, Carthaginians, Arabs, Greeks, and eventually Romans. Studies show that the earliest perfume bottles started in 1000 B.C. in Egypt. The Egyptians were first to create glass, and the perfume bottles were one of the earliest forms of using that glass.

In all the tombs the temples of ancient Egypt, you could see paintings of pharaohs and queens giving offerings of incense and perfumes to the gods and goddesses.

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