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# Incense Route

## Overview
The Incense Route was a network of trade paths connecting the Arabian Peninsula to the Mediterranean, primarily transporting frankincense and myrrh from southern Arabia (modern Yemen and Oman) to markets in Egypt, Mesopotamia, Greece, and Rome. It also carried goods from India and East Africa, making it one of the ancient world's most economically significant trade networks.

## Key Facts
- Period: ~7th century BCE – ~3rd century CE @t[~700 BCE..~300 CE]
- Peak activity: ~3rd century BCE – ~2nd century CE @t[~300 BCE..~200 CE]
- Length: ~2,400 km (main overland route)
- Key goods: Frankincense, myrrh, spices, textiles, Indian luxury goods
- Key peoples: Nabataeans, Sabaeans, Minaeans [^1]

## Route
- Southern terminus: Dhofar (Oman) and Hadhramaut (Yemen)
- Northern terminus: Gaza, Petra, Damascus
- Key waypoints: Shabwa, Ma'rib, Petra, Gaza [^1]
- Negev segment: Four Nabataean towns — Haluza, Mamshit, Avdat, and Shivta — served as key stations on the final leg from Petra to Gaza @t[~300 BCE..~200 CE] [^3]

## Key Players
- Nabataeans: Controlled the northern segment from Petra; grew wealthy as middlemen @t[~300 BCE..106 CE] [^1] [^2]
- Kingdom of Saba (Sheba): Controlled production in southern Arabia [^1]
- Minaeans: Earlier controllers of the southern Arabian trade, predating Nabataean dominance @t[~700 BCE..~100 BCE] [^1]
- Romans: Attempted to conquer Arabia Felix under Aelius Gallus (26–24 BCE) but failed @t[26 BCE..24 BCE] [^2] [^4]

## Roman Period
Rome annexed the Nabataean Kingdom under Emperor Trajan in 106 CE @t[=106 CE], creating the province of Arabia Petraea with Petra as its capital. Paradoxically, trade along the route reached its apex in the period immediately following annexation, before a marked decline set in during the 3rd century CE @t[~200 CE..~300 CE]. [^2] [^3]

## Decline
The overland route declined for two main reasons:
1. Romans discovered how to exploit monsoon wind patterns (attributed to the navigator Hippalus, ~1st century BCE) enabling direct sea trade with India via the Red Sea, bypassing overland routes @t[~100 BCE..~100 CE] [^5]
2. The Roman annexation of Nabataea in 106 CE @t[=106 CE] disrupted the Nabataean middleman system, and the route saw sharp decline through the 3rd century CE [^3]

## Primary Sources
- Strabo, *Geographica* (1st century BCE/CE): Detailed account of the Aelius Gallus expedition and Arabian trade [^4]
- *Periplus of the Erythraean Sea* (1st century CE): Eyewitness account of Red Sea and Indian Ocean trade routes, documenting the shift to maritime trade [^5]

## UNESCO Recognition
The Negev segment of the route — comprising the Nabataean towns of Haluza, Mamshit, Avdat, and Shivta along with associated fortresses and agricultural landscapes — was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005 @t[=2005 CE]. [^3]

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[^1]: Avanzini, A. *Along the Aroma Routes* (2008)
[^2]: Hoyland, R. *Arabia and the Arabs* (Routledge, 2001)
[^3]: UNESCO World Heritage Centre, "Incense Route – Desert Cities in the Negev," inscribed 2005. https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1107
[^4]: Strabo, *Geographica* XVI.4.22–24 (primary source for Aelius Gallus expedition and Arabian trade)
[^5]: *Periplus of the Erythraean Sea*, anonymous Greek-Egyptian author, 1st century CE (documents monsoon navigation and Red Sea trade)