Frankincense

Frankincense, also known as Olibanum, is the resin of the Boswellia tree that grows in the Middle East, India and Africa.
It has a woody aroma that can be inhaled or absorbed through the skin.

Frankincense was used in the Ancient World as a Funerary Preparation, in Religious Festivals and for Medicinal purposes such as joint pains, arthritis and against infections.
In Ancient Egypt, Frankincense was used for embalming the dead.
Frankincense was either used as a Resin and burnt to give off its distinctive aroma, or the Resin was distilled into an oil by steaming, and used to embalm the dead or alleviate pain in patients.

Frankincense was one of the key products that travelled the Incense Road along with Myrrh.
It had the same value as Gold, Silk, and Precious Gems.
It was mostly produced on either side of the Gulf of Aden, in Yemen, Oman, Somalia and Socotra.
It was harvested twice a year, then transported by Camel Caravans along an inland road in Arabia that ran parallel to the Red Sea and led to the Mediterranean Sea and Mesopotamia.
It was also transported in merchant vessels up the Red Sea to Egypt.
The trade in Incense was dominated by the south Arabian Kingdoms such as the Sabaean Kingdom.

Frankincense trees grow to a height of about 20 feet (6m).
They require a dry limestone soil and an arid climate, and get their moisture from the early morning mists.
They often grow on cliffs or rocky hillsides, making harvesting dangerous.
When the tree trunk is cut, the tree produces a protective milky white fluid, which after two weeks turns to a hardened Resin.
The trees are harvested twice a year, from January to March, and from August to October.
The Tree has a five inch notch cut in its trunk and is left for two weeks. When the harvester returns the Resin is hard and can be more easily collected. The process is then repeated over a three month period.
The longer the tree has been left to rest, the finer the Resin when harvested.

Queen Hatsepshut, Pharaoh of Egypt between c. 1479-1458 BCE, sent a fleet of 5 ships to the Land of Punt, which returned with Myrrh and Frankincense.
This expedition was recorded on the walls of Hatshepsut’s Temple at the Deir ei-Bahari complex of Mortuary Temples.
The Land of Punt has not been confirmed but was probably Somalia, where Myrrh and Frankincense were grown.

Horn of Africa