Phoenician oil bottles reveal role of fragrance during Iron Age

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A recent interdisciplinary study led by researchers from the University of Tübingen and the Complutense University of Madrid analyzed 51 ceramic oil bottles from the ancient Phoenician settlement of Motya, off the coast of Sicily.

These small, undecorated vessels, dating from the 8th to 6th centuries BCE, were found in tombs, homes, and sacred spaces, reflecting their varied uses. The research highlights the importance of scent in the Iron Age Mediterranean, suggesting that aromatic oils played a key role in shaping personal and cultural identity.

Through ceramic analysis, the team traced the origin of the vessels to southern Phoenicia, in the area between modern Beirut and Mount Carmel.

Organic residue analysis revealed plant-based lipids and resins such as pine and mastic, confirming that the bottles once held fragrant oils. These findings suggest that the vessels were not merely utilitarian but were deeply embedded in social, ritual, and commercial practices, functioning as carriers of scent and memory across long distances.

The study positions these oil bottles as tools of cultural connection and continuity among the highly mobile Phoenician communities.

Scent, as the researchers argue, was more than sensory—it was a medium of identity, shared memory, and belonging that traveled with people across the Mediterranean. 

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