Latest / Trade Routes That Changed Human History Forever — Fexingo History / The Incense Route of South Arabia: Frankincense and Myrrh
Transcript
- Lucas: So Luna, we've covered a lot of ground on this show — silk, spices, paper, horses — but there's one ancient trade network that actually predates most of them and carried something even more precious than gold in the ancient world: incense. Luna: Incense? Like the stuff you burn in temples? Lucas: Exactly, but not just any incense. We're talking specifically about frankincense and myrrh — resins harvested from trees that only grow in a narrow band of southern Arabia, the Horn of Africa, and parts of India. For thousands of years, these aromatic gums were worth their weight in gold. They were used in religious ceremonies, as medicine, in cosmetics, and even in embalming. Lucas: The demand was so high that it created an entire network of trade routes across the Arabian Peninsula, known as the Incense Route. It connected the producing regions in what is now Oman and Yemen to the consuming civilizations of the Mediterranean and Mesopotamia. Luna: How did they get it from those remote areas to Egypt or Rome? Lucas: That's the fascinating part. The main source of the finest frankincense was the Dhofar region in modern Oman, particularly a place called Sumhuram — an ancient port city. From there, caravans of camels would trek northward across the Rub' al Khali, the Empty Quarter, one of the most inhospitable deserts on Earth. Lucas: They followed a series of wells and oasis towns controlled by different kingdoms — the Sabaeans, the Minaeans, the Qatabanians — each of whom extracted tolls and taxes. The route eventually reached the Nabataean city of Petra, which acted as a kind of distribution hub, and then on to the port of Gaza on the Mediterranean. Luna: So basically, every kingdom along the way got a cut. Lucas: Precisely. And these kingdoms became incredibly wealthy. The Sabaeans, who ruled the area around modern Yemen, built massive irrigation works and temples — they were known to the Romans as 'Arabia Felix,' or 'Happy Arabia,' because of all that wealth. The Greek historian Herodotus mentions them, and the Bible references the Queen of Sheba, who many scholars believe was a Sabaean ruler. Lucas: But the real secret was in the harvesting. Frankincense comes from the Boswellia sacra tree, and myrrh from Commiphora myrrha. The resin is harvested by making incisions in the bark and letting the sap ooze out and harden. It's a delicate process — too much and you kill the tree. The best grades were almost translucent, like little golden tears. Luna: I've heard that frankincense was used in Roman religious rituals, but also as a perfume. Lucas: Yes, and in huge quantities. The Roman historian Pliny the Elder wrote that at the funeral of Nero's wife Poppaea, an entire year's harvest of frankincense was burned. He actually complained about the cost — he said the trade was draining Rome of 100 million sesterces a year, which is a staggering sum. He saw it as a luxury that was ruining the economy. Luna: So it's like the ancient version of the spice trade's drain on Rome. Lucas: Exactly. And just like with pepper, the Romans tried to find ways to bypass the middlemen. Emperor Augustus sent a military expedition under Aelius Gallus to try to conquer Arabia Felix in 26 BCE, but it failed — partly because of disease, partly because the guides deliberately led them astray. Lucas: The Incense Route thrived for about a thousand years, from around 1000 BCE to the 3rd century CE. But then several things happened. First, Christianity became the state religion of Rome, which reduced demand for incense in pagan rituals. Second, the rise of the Sassanian Empire in Persia disrupted overland trade. And third, sailors figured out how to use the monsoon winds to sail directly from Egypt to India, bypassing the Arabian overland routes entirely. Luna: So the same monsoon trade we talked about in the pepper episode. Lucas: Right. And that's what really killed it. Once you could ship incense by sea from the Horn of Africa or directly from India, the overland caravan route became redundant. The cities along the route — like Shabwa, Timna, and even Petra — gradually declined. By the time Islam rose in the 7th century, the Incense Route was a shadow of its former self. Luna: It's amazing to think that something as simple as tree sap shaped the rise and fall of entire kingdoms. Lucas: It really did. And you can still see the remnants of that world today. In Oman, the frankincense trees still grow in the same valleys. The UNESCO site of the 'Land of Frankincense' includes the ancient port of Sumhuram and the Al Baleed archaeological park. And the knowledge of how to tap the trees has been passed down for generations. Luna: If today's episode was useful to you — and I feel like I actually understand the Incense Route now — these conversations stay free because of listener support. So if you're getting something out of it, buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. It really makes a difference. Lucas: Yeah, a small contribution goes a long way to keep the show ad-free and independent. And we genuinely appreciate every single person who chips in. Lucas: Anyway, back to the incense. There's one more thing I find really striking. The Hebrew Bible describes frankincense and myrrh as gifts brought to the infant Jesus — and that's not just a poetic detail. It reflects how highly valued these resins were in the ancient world. They were literally fit for a king. Luna: And now you can buy them in a candle at the supermarket. Quite a fall. Lucas: Ha, true. But the legacy of that trade network is still with us — in the frankincense that perfumes churches around the world, and in the archaeological sites that tell the story of the people who made it possible.