Phoenician Oil Bottles of Motya Reveal the Role of Scent in the Iron Age Mediterranean

Phoenician oil bottles of Motya reveal the role of scent in the Iron Age Mediterranean

Pottery shards, coins, and bones can survive for millennia beneath the soil, but the scents of antiquity typically escape archaeological recovery. Now, for the first time, an interdisciplinary team of researchers has comprehensively analyzed the production, technology, and contents of 51 ceramic oil vessels from the Phoenician settlement of Motya, located on an island off the coast of Sicily.

Phoenician oil bottles reveal the role of scent in identity and cultural exchange across the Mediterranean

Archaeologists routinely uncover pottery, coins, and bones, but the scents of the past are much more elusive. An innovative interdisciplinary study has now traced fragrances that were once at the heart of Phoenician culture. Through the analysis of 51 ceramic oil vessels from the site of Motya, a small island off Sicily’s coast, researchers have […]

Scents of Home: The Phoenician Oil Bottles of Motya

25.08.2025 - Pottery shards, coins, and bones can survive for millennia beneath the soil, but the scents of antiquity typically escape archaeological recovery. Now, for the first time, an interdisciplinary team of researchers has comprehensively analyzed the production, technology, and contents of 51 ceramic oil vessels from the Phoenician settlement of Motya, located on an island off the coast of