Question:
Who invented perfume?

The Answer:

It's obvious that perfumes began as a method for masking
foul odors, but the fragrances weren't originally meant for
use among the living. After all, as anyone who has ridden
on a New York City subway can tell you, most people don't
seem to realize how bad they smell.

The word "perfume" is a compound of the Latin words "per"
meaning "through" and "fumus" meaning "smoke". Perfume
began as a deodorizer, sprinkled on a carcass to cover the
awful smell of burning flesh in an animal sacrifice.

In time, people skipped the sacrifice in religious rites
and just burned the fragrance. By 3000 B.C. Egyptians of
both sexes took the practice a step further, anointing
themselves with scents, typically using a different
fragrance for each part of the body.

(Source: PANATI'S EXTRAORDINARY ORIGINS OF EVERYDAY THINGS
By Charles Panati)

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