Ruins of an ancient incense route

Frankincense and myrrh may not make the cut on many shopping lists today, but from the 3rd century BCE to the 2nd century AD, they were hot commodities. Procured from tree sap, they were long used as incense and perfume, burned frequently in many places around the world to cover up the not-so-pleasant smells of the time. But there was one problem: frankincense and myrrh were only native to trees growing in Ethiopia, Somalia, and southern

Arabia.

Enter the incense route, a path spanning more than 1,200 miles and used by traders to carry frankincense and myrrh from Yemen and Oman, through the Negev desert, to the Mediterranean port in Gaza. The route took about 62 days to traverse, according to the notable Roman author Pliny the Elder, with around 65 stops along the way where traders and their camel caravans could rest, recharge and sell their goods. Generally, a day’s worth of travel would bring the caravans to the next stop.

A local population called the Nabateans primarily controlled this route, operating four major cities along the way—Haluza, Mamshit, Avdat and Shivta—as well as multiple fortresses protecting the route from robbers.

At the height of its use, the incense route aided in the transport of an estimated 3,000 tons of incense every year, following an undulating path that changed slightly with each instance that settlements along the way decided to increase taxes on passing caravans. Although some spices were also carried along the incense route, this shouldn’t be confused with the actual spice routes, which were largely maritime paths.

And like those before them, the overland incense route transitioned to a maritime route, as well, beginning around the last century BCE. Traders in southern Arabia would make inflatable rafts out of animal skin, using those to secretly float bundles of incense out to waiting ships on the Arabian Sea. From there, the boats would covertly sail up the Red Sea and deliver the incense to Egyptian ports. In approximately 25 BCE, the south Arabian kingdoms were ultimately overthrown, bringing an end to the overland route (which was mostly controlled by Arabians) altogether, and allowing the maritime trade to

flourish.

Follow the scent to these spots in modern-day Israel, where you can see what’s left of the ancient incense route today.

Smithsonian