ABSTRACT
France is believed to be the capital of perfume and some people even think it was the French who invented it. But as a symbol of civilization, perfume has had a history almost as long as the human race. Some 4000 years ago, the Mesopotamians began using incense, the first form of perfume. In ancient times, scents and perfumes were quite popular among the ancient Greeks and Romans to hide unpleasant body smells. Later in the eleventh and twelfth century, through trade with the Islamic world and with the returning crusaders, perfume was brought to Europe. And thanks to the popularity of perfumed gloves in the mid-seventeenth century, the use of perfume grew steadily in France.
