Thesiss

Olfactory perception is as sociocultural a phenomenon as it is a physiological one. Scents of all types and the meanings assigned to them contribute to and shape human cultures, and humans have deliberately manipulated smells to sway the opinions and value judgements of others s…

This dissertation studies Eurasian cultural interactions along the so-called Silk Road by examining the role in the culture of the Islamic Near East of a product from Central Eurasia. Musk, produced by the musk deer of the highlands of Central Eurasia, was the most important aro…