02-12-2026, 12:10 PM
(This post was last modified: 02-12-2026, 12:10 PM by Paul Ferguson.)
"An ageing Byzantine empress with flawless skin is an odd place to begin the history of “spiritual alchemy,” yet Zoe Porphyrogennētē’s perfume laboratory turns out to be a key to the Byzantine imagination. This essay invites readers into Zoe’s myrepseion, a perfume workshop glowing with braziers, rare resins from India and Egypt, and an icon that answers her questions by changing colour. Through Michael Psellos’ meticulous records, we watch a pious and politically sidelined woman build a private laboratory of scent, sacrifice, and divination in the heart of the imperial palace."
https://thyrathen.substack.com/p/spiritu...m-revealed
https://thyrathen.substack.com/p/spiritu...m-revealed