Each time archaeologists discover something that belonged to the ancient Egyptian pharaohs, they are overwhelmed with joy upon unearthing items that are more than 2 or 3 millennia old. But recently, one of their discoveries has made the entire community buzz with excitement – researchers have found a perfectly-preserved vial of perfume that belonged to Pharaoh Hatshepsut, a woman who took charge of Egypt when her step-son was just 3 years old.

She was supposed to relinquish the command of the country when Thutmose III came of age, but didn't, and remained the ruler of Egypt for more than 20 years. Finally, upon her death, in 1457 BC, she was between 45 and 60 years old (according to estimates) and was suffering from a number of diseases including cancer, diabetes, arthritis, obesity and others. She was buried in her wet nurse's tomb, for security reasons, and it turned out that this was for the best. Apparently, Thutmose III didn't take his mother's treachery too kindly, and had all depictions of her as a ruler destroyed for good.

It wasn't until 1903 that famous Egyptologist Howard Carter found the tomb holding the two mummies and recognized one of them as Hatshepsut. Yet another century later, in 2007, dental records and DNA analysis finally managed to prove that this was, indeed, the former pharaoh. Next to her, archaeologists found a very-well preserved vial, which bore an inscription with Hatshepsut's name. Researchers believe that it once belonged to the power-hungry woman, and have submitted it for an X-ray analysis.

Early results have revealed that the container might be an incense of perfume vessel, and that small traces of fluid still exist on its walls. “The desiccated residues of a fluid can be clearly discerned in the x-ray photographs. Our pharmacologists are now going to analyze this sediment,” Bonn University's Egyptian Museum curator Michael Höveler-Müller explains.

Within a year, experts say, investigations could yield the first glimpse into what perfumes 3,500 years ago smelled like, a question that makes Egyptologists very curious. They believe that Thutmose III's step-mother may have used certain incenses and smells to keep her son subdued and the reins of Egypt in her own hands.