The Roman Empire and the Indian Ocean: The Ancient World Economy & The Kingdoms of Africa, Arabia, and India, Raoul McLauglin

c. 2014, 2018.

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Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh

From various sources:

• the gifts:
• gold: no explanation needed
• frankincense: a perfume
• myrrh: an anointing oil; embalming ointment; penitential incense in funerals and cremations; 
• Eastern Orthodox Church: the sacraments of chrismation and/or unction, traditionally scented with myrrh; receiving either of these sacraments commonly referred to as "receiving the myrrh"
• so, then incense: Raoul McLaughlin devotes an entire chapter to incense in his book, The Roman Empire and the Indian Ocean: The Ancient World Economy & The Kingdomesof Africa, Arabia, and India, c. 2014, 2018.

"Incense: A Unique Product," Chapter Three, 22 pages, but then is carried throughout the rest of the book.  

• introduction
• origins and the use of incense
• medicines
• flavourings
• personal fragrances
• balsam
• profits from balsam
• Roman balsam 

Global economy of frankincense:

• made territories around Gulf of Aden wealthy; controlled the product
• civilizations like Rome and Parthia had to buy incense with finite sources of silver bullion

"Arabia Felix," "Arabia the Blessed" -- because of the incense it controlled.

Gulf of Aden: imagine a "V":

• the "V":
• the left descending slope: the Red Sea
• the "v": the Gulf of Aden
• the right ascending slope: the Arabian Sea
• to the south of this: the Indian Ocean
• Ethiopia, Yemen, and Somalia

Biology: sap of shrub-like trees; sap fairly consistent; not susceptible to drought

• boswellia: francincense
• commiphora: myrrh

Dating:

• Temple of Solomon: 12th century BC
• Fall of Troy: 13th century BC (1200 BC)
• So, if the Jews "started" about a hundred years before the Temple of Solomon, they were somewhat contemporaneous with Helen of Troy

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