Zibet und Zeit

Abstract

Summary Civet and Time. Timescapes of an Early Modern Scent By focusing on time and temporality, the article tells the story of civet, a glandular secretion of the civet cat used in early modern perfumery and medicine. It argues that the specific temporality of odours (namely ephemerality, „sillage“, memory and eternity) and their changing „timescapes“ help explain the enormous success of perfume on the luxury markets of early modern Europe - as well as their massive changes.