Roman use of perfumes. Recreation of a woman using a perfume in Roman times. She is smelling the aroma rising from the perfume contained in the glass bottle or cruet in her hands. Plants used by the Romans to prepare aromatic oils and perfumes included roses, lilies, myrtle, violets, hyacinths and irises. These were mixed with olive oil and grape juices. Other ingredients included herbs such as dill, basil and thyme. Perfume bottles have been uncovered in Pompeii, a Roman city destroyed by a volcano in 79 AD. The perfumes were found in rooms intended for romantic and sexual pleasures.