A Road Well Traveled - The Origin of Cologne
It is widely accepted that the Egyptians were the first people to use cologne of any kind. Dating back to the ancient world, the Egyptians have used cologne for everything from bathing water to religious ceremonies. The egyptians believed that they could communicate with their gods through scented smoke. Egyptians are also believed to have invented glass, and it is commonly accepted that they used these bottles to store their colognes and perfumes. However, the Egyptians weren't the only civilization to play a role in the development of cologne.
Persian scientist are credited with perfecting the art of manufacturing and preserving methods of cologne. As a result of the invasion of Egypt by the king Alexander, the Greeks were allowed to play their role in the development of cologne. The Greeks were able to categorize colognes, by isolating the plant it came from. This methods were kept in records by the Greeks, but were stolen when he Roman invaded and conquered Greece.
Early Christian authority forbade perfume use initially, which is why cologne was not popular in Europe until the 12th and 13th centuries. This was made possible by he end of the crusades and thriving trade routes through Asia. Europe benefitted tremendously from these trades, as new scents and spices were made available to the Europeans. However, these spices and scents were not relegated to cologne, but also aided in medicinal and food preparation. These discoveries enabled European scholars to create the Hungary water. Discovered in 1370, Hungary Water is the first alcoholic perfume and was created for Queen Elizabeth of Hungary.
It was during the 17th century that cologne to the European nation by storm. Colognes and fragrances eventually led King Louis the 14th to restrict the use of cologne for fear his subjects loved it more than him. Narcissistic I know but, true none the less. Cologne reached it's peak however, in England under the jurisprudence of King Henry VIII and Queen Elizabeth I. The queen was known to be intolerable of bad smells and ordered that all public places be scented with cologne. The 19th century was the birth of modern chemistry and produced he blueprint of cologne processing.It wasn't until the discovery of the Americas, that a actual industry was established for colognes and fragrances.
It should be noted that the genesis source of this word is cemented in the history of the city Cologne, which stretches back to the Roman Empire. Despite it's storied and travelled history, cologne today is considered a fragrance with an oil concentration of five percent. It is widely popular throughout the world and is used by most men. Due to this popularity, cologne is produced, manufactured, and sold a rate that it has established itself as a billion dollar industry. Not just sold in countless stores, cologne is available for purchase online. This provides consumers the opportunity to buy their favorite colognes in a matter of seconds. This platform allows you to search through thousands of sites that provides you more choices than a store or mall.
