Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Scientific Correspondence
  • Published:

Archaeological frankincense

Nature volume 390, pages 667–668 (1997)Cite this article

Abstract

Frankincense, or olibanum, obtained from trees of the genus Boswellia1, is the best known of the aromatic gum resins used throughout the world as incense in religious ceremonies. The earliest archaeological evidence for the burning of incense comes from the Old Kingdom in Ancient Egypt, where spoon-shaped incense burners with long handles have been found. However, no chemical evidence exists of the exact resin used. A wide range of ingredients would have been used by the ancient incense-maker and such materials would have been important traded products2. We have chemically characterized frankincense from the archaeological record at the site of the major frontier settlement of Qasr Ibrîm, Egyptian Nubia.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: Mass spectrometry of triterpenoids of ancient frankincense.
Figure 2: Comparison of ancient and modern frankincense.

References

  1. Khalid, S. A. in Chemistry and Taxonomy of the Rutales (eds Waterman, P. G. & Erundan, M. F.) Ch. 10 (Academic, New York, 1983).

  2. Forbes, R. J. Studies in Ancient Technology 3, 22 (Brill, Leiden, 1993).

  3. Rose, P. J. Egyptian Archaeol. 82, 19–22 (1996).

    Google Scholar 

  4. Anderson, K. B. & Winans, R. E. Anal. Chem. 63, 2901–2908 (1991).

    Google Scholar 

  5. Evershed, R. P., Jerman, K. & Eglinton, G. Nature 314, 528–530 (1985).

    Article  CAS  ADS  Google Scholar 

  6. Mills, J. & White, R. The Organic Chemistry of Museum Objects (Butterworths, Oxford, 1994).

  7. Groom, N. Frankincense and Myrrh, a Study of the Arabian Incense Trade, 99 (Longmans, London, 1981).

  8. Crone, P. Meccan Trade and the Rise of Islam, 14-15 (Blackwell, Oxford, 1987).

  9. Exodus 30: 34-36.

  10. Crone, P. Meccan Trade and the Rise of Islam, 27–28 (Blackwell, Oxford, 1987).

  11. Kjølbye-Biddle, B. in Churches Built in Ancient Times. Recent Studies in Early Christian Archaeology (ed. Painter, K.) 22 (Society of Antiquaries, London, 1994).

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Organic Geochemistry Unit, School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Cantocks Close, BS8 1TS, Bristol, UK

    R. P. Evershed, P. F. van Bergen, T. M. Peakman & E. C. Leigh-Firbank

  2. Department of Archaeology, University of Bristol, Woodland Road, Bristol, BS8 1TB, UK

    M. C. Horton

  3. Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3DZ, UK

    D. Edwards

  4. Hertford College, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 1BW, UK

    M. Biddle & B. Kjølbye-Biddle

  5. Department of Archaeology, University of Durham, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK

    P. A. Rowley-Conwy

Authors
  1. R. P. Evershed
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. P. F. van Bergen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. T. M. Peakman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. E. C. Leigh-Firbank
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. M. C. Horton
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. D. Edwards
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. M. Biddle
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. B. Kjølbye-Biddle
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. P. A. Rowley-Conwy
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Evershed, R., van Bergen, P., Peakman, T. et al. Archaeological frankincense. Nature 390, 667–668 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1038/37741

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/37741

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing