Unguis odoratus (also called ’blattes de Byzance’ and ‘sweet hoof’) is a
nail-like sweet marine shell which was a medicine "famous among the ancients, and used in considerable Quantity".
Unguis odoratus is a fragrant material consisting of the
opercula of certain marine
snails.
[McHUGH, JAMES. 2013. "Blattes de Byzance "in India: Mollusk Opercula and the History of Perfumery". Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society. 23 (1): 53-67.] Ancient texts refer to Unguis odoratus as the shell or scale of snails from the
Red Sea that emit a pleasant smell when burned.
[Staff, Amos. 2018. "Modern Science Tackles A Biblical Secret — The Mystery Ingredient In Holy Incense". Amos. Accessed February 22 2019]
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With its marine origins ‘sweet hoof’ is intrinsically linked to the ocean and to trade, and it has also long been of importance from the Mediterranean to China and Japan. It is probably the most ancient animal derived aromatic to have an extensive global use, being mentioned in ancient Babylonia
Babylonia (; Akkadian: , ''māt Akkadī'') was an ancient Akkadian-speaking state and cultural area based in the city of Babylon in central-southern Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq and parts of Syria). It emerged as an Amorite-ruled state c. ...
n incense recipes.
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