Henna is included on account of its use in Ancient Egypt for staining the nails and hair of mummies. However, there is no direct evidence that Tutankhamun’s body was so treated, and there is still dispute among Egyptologists concerning its prevalence.
The shrub from which the dye is obtained is usually spindly, about the height of a man, and with several stems. A profusion of slender branches carry the leaves which are crushed to make the paste used for henna dye. The flowers of henna are white and beautifully fragrant.
In Egypt and other warm countries it is grown as a cultivated plant, but I have seen it growing wild on rock outcrops in Kenya.
If the perfume of white or Madonna lily was included in Tutankhamun’s vases, it would have come from plants specially grown for the purpose, since this is a species inhabiting hills in the eastern Mediterranean area. The cultivation of lilies for perfume is shown on some of the ancient wall reliefs and vast quantities of flowers must have been required for the perfume recipes.
The white lily has a bulb composed of a number of scales similar to the ‘cloves’ of a garlic bulb. It puts forth its leaves as a basal tuft in winter long before the flower stem arises. This can be up to 1 m (3 ft) tall, bearing leaves of decreasing size towards the terminal cluster of trumpet flowers. These are white and beautifully scented.
Myrrh Commiphora myrrha.
World History
