Kingdoms in southern Arabia, including Saba and Hadramawt, grew wealthy by controlling the production and export of frankincense and myrrh, aromatic resins harvested from trees native to the region. Caravans carried these goods north along well-established overland routes to Mediterranean and Mesopotamian markets, where they were used in religious ritual, medicine, and perfumery. Control of oases and watering points along these routes allowed southern Arabian states to tax and regulate the flow of goods. Maritime routes along the Red Sea later supplemented these overland caravan paths.
Relevance to Trade History
The incense trade shows how control of a single valuable commodity could generate durable state wealth and long-distance trade infrastructure in antiquity.
Read the full story in our article The Incense Routes of Ancient Arabia.
Source: World History Encyclopedia — Incense Route. See our Sources & Methodology page for how we select and verify references.