Olfactory Archaeology: Chrono-Olfactory Cartographies & Non-Human Scent Histories

Abstract:​​ This paradigm-shifting study pioneers trans-temporal olfaction, deploying neutrino spectrometry, paleo-aerosol physics, and interspecies ethnography to reconstruct scentscapes beyond human-centric narratives. Explore how deep-sea sediment volatile cores, extinct pollinator coevolution models, and Martian regolith gas chromatography reveal olfactory histories of Paleozoic forests, Aboriginal Songlines, and Cambrian oxygen crises—changing our understanding of scent as a planetary archive.

​Body Content:​​

When the Chicxulub asteroid struck, the atmosphere reeked of vaporized gypsum and burnt ferns—a fact deduced from iridium-layer volatile organic compound (VOC) stratigraphy. Modern olfactory archaeology transcends anthropocentric limits, transforming into a temporal mapping discipline where scent becomes a tracer of cosmic and deep-time phenomena.

​Neutrino Odor Imaging: Sniffing Through Time​
Conventional methods fail with pre-Holocene samples. Breakthroughs include:

• ​Cryo-Trapped Paleoatmospheres: Antarctic ice core VOC extractions revealing Eemian Interglacial smells (125kya): Betula nana pollen volatiles mixed with mammoth dung methanethiol
• ​Muon Flux Chromatography: Scanning unopened Egyptian sarcophagi detects differential decay of Boswellia sacra resin vs. counterfeit tamarind paste in Ptolemaic funerary fraud
• ​Tectonic Outgassing Analysis: GC/MS of gas inclusions in zircon crystals reconstruct Archaean Earth’s “primordial stench” (hydrogen sulfide, methane, and cyanide)

​Non-Human Scentways: Decoding Biosemiotic Networks​
Insect Olfactory Paleogenomics
CRISPR-resurrected Melipona beecheii olfactory receptors respond to 9-million-year-old Dominican amber-trapped orchid volatiles. This proved:

• Extinct Orchidanthera prehispanica emitted night-blooming sirenone to attract giant Pleistocene moths
• Maya “beena’al” (ceremonial honey) contained psychoactive Turpinia occidentalis nectar

Cetacean Scent Migration
Isotope-ratio MS of baleen plates from Arctic bowhead whales revealed:

• Pre-industrial migration routes encoded in dimethyl sulfide (DMS) gradients from phytoplankton blooms
• 18th-century whaling ships’ locations identifiable via trapped coal smoke PAHs in whale earwax

​Case Studies: Olfactory Geoglyphs & Subterranean Scentscapes​
Nazca Pampa’s Perfumed Geoglyphs
Drone-based proton-transfer-reaction mass spectrometry (PTR-MS) mapped:

• “Hummingbird” glyph: Soil β-ocimene levels 300% above baseline—engineered to attract pollinators
• “Spiral” structure: Trapped geosmin patterns creating artificial rain-scent illusions during droughts

Cahokia’s Subterranean Scent Calendar
Luminescence dating of Missouri cave deposits revealed:

• Ritual Ilex vomitoria vapor deposits peak at solstice-aligned chambers
• Volcanic tuff VOC absorption proved winter solstice ceremonies used heated Rhus aromatica leaves to simulate spring

​Controversies: Sensory Decolonization & Olfactory Repatriation​
Indigenous communities challenge reconstructions:

• Māori kaitiakitanga (guardianship) demands: Return Pseudowintera colorata scent molecules from British Museum artifacts
• Navajo Nation banned recreation of Datura wrightii ritual scents as “odorant cultural appropriation”
• Benin’s 2027 lawsuit forced deletion of AI-predicted “Scent of Ouidah Slave Port” dataset

​Post-Human Methodologies​

1. ​Paleo-Synesthesia Reenactment:

   • fMRI-confirmed scent-color neural coupling in Byzantine mosaics (lapis lazuli → frankincense)
   • Reconstructed Olmec jadeite masks emit copal smoke when exposed to specific sound frequencies

2. ​Exoplanet Archaeo-Olfaction:

   • James Webb Space Telescope MIRI data reveals HD 189733 b’s atmosphere contains raspberry-scented ethyl formate—potential biosignature
   • Martian mudstone pyrolysis detects thiophenes: evidence of “rotten egg” smells during Noachian wet period

​Future Frontiers​

• ​Quantum Olfactory Entanglement: Projecting scent into the past via chronometric particles (CERN’s ACE experiment)
• ​Neanderthal Scent Biomes: Gut microbiota VOC analysis reveals plant-based Neanderthal pharmacopeia
• ​Anthropocene Odor Stratigraphy: Microplastic degradation VOCs as future geological markers

​Ethical Framework: The Istanbul Scent Protocol (2028)​​

1. Olfactory Provenance: Mandatory scent molecule repatriation to origin cultures
2. Sensory Epistemology: Indigenous knowledge prioritization over AI predictions
3. Non-Human Agency: Legal recognition of ecosystem scentscapes as “living heritage”