The use of scents, aromas and fragrances dates back to ancient civilisations with the Egyptians and Assyrians developing methods of extraction such as pressing, decoction and pulverization to produce essential oils. The late 18th century saw the introduction of synthetic fragrances and the large scale production of perfume followed making fragrance available to a mass market. Prior to the 20th century many women would either mix their own perfumes or would buy them from the local perfumer. These would be decanted into bottles which would be refilled over and over. Like these bottles, they were usually larger than modern examples and were intended to hold a woman's stock of perfume which she would decant into smaller bottles to fit into her bag.