Black Frankincense

This resin shaped civilization itself. Ancient trade routes across the Arabian Peninsula formed around frankincense for thousands of years. Somali merchants carried black frankincense along Indian Ocean routes, connecting East Africa with Arabia, India, and the Mediterranean. Egyptian priests used it in temple rituals and embalming practices. Archaeologists found frankincense resin in Tutankhamun's tomb. The word frankincense comes from medieval French for pure incense, yet the material itself had been coveted throughout the ancient world for millennia before that name emerged. Today, black frankincense lends perfumery its resinous depth and meditative quality.