old sea routes

The Sea Route, showing how the trade of goods extended from China's Han Dynasty through the old spice routes and the Straits of Malacca, around Sri Lanka and Western India, both delivering and collecting cargo, then across the Arabian sea to the Middle East and East Africa. Java, Sumatra, Malaysia and the ancient Khmer, Thai, Lao Viet and Burmese civilizations all grew wealthy from the Sino-Indian and were settled by Indian and Chinese merchants

Map of The Silk Road, The Spice Route & Incense Trail

The History of Incense and Spices

The development of incense and spices has a long history, with their earliest use found in the Mesopotamian Civilization several thousand years ago. According to ancient documentation, as much as 2.5 tonnes of frankincense were burnt in the Temple of Baal in Babylon each year;¹ and there were inscriptions about incense offerings for gods on the clay tablets of The Epic of Gilgamesh, “the world's oldest literature”.² In the Book of Exodus of the Old Testament, there are verses describing the Lord teaching His people how to make the holy anointing oil and incense:

“Moreover the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Take thou also unto thee principal spices…And thou shalt make it an oil of holy ointment, an ointment compound after the art of the apothecary: it shall be an holy anointing oil. And thou shalt anoint the tabernacle of the congregation therewith, and the ark of the testimony…And thou shalt sanctify them, that they may be most holy…And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying, this shall be an holy anointing oil unto me throughout your generations… And the LORD said unto Moses, Take unto thee sweet spices…these sweet spices with pure frankincense: of each shall there be a like weight: And thou shalt make it a perfume, a confection after the art of the apothecary, tempered together, pure and holy…it shall be unto you most holy...it shall be unto thee holy for the LORD...Whosoever shall make like unto that, to smell thereto, shall even be cut off from his people.”

(Exodus, Chapter 30, verses 22-38) ³

Moreover, archaeologists discovered pellets of frankincense in the tomb of the Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamun (1341 – 1323 BC). A wall inscription in Karnak also details the incense offering rituals of Pharaoh Rameses II before a sacred barge around 1224 BC.¹ In fact, incense culture can be found among different races, including the Phoenicians, the Arabs, the Indians as well as the Greeks and Romans.⁴

In ancient days, the worth of incense and spices was the same as that of gold. Its preciousness originated from its connotation of authority and status, rather than being a necessity. According to the Gospel of Matthew, the three wise men from the east were guided by a star to Bethlehem to worship Jesus Christ the new-born King. The gifts they presented were gold, frankincense and myrrh. (Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 2, verses 1-12)

http://www.xiang-he.org/aloe_exhibition/artifacts_cat.php?cat=A&file=cat-A-2