Posted on 08/11/2025 12:41:37 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
Rome's love for pepper and incense fueled a global trade network. This episode follows their journey -- from Arabian deserts and Indian coasts, through Petra and Red Sea ports, to Mediterranean hubs -- ending in the spice markets of the Eternal City, including the Horrea Piperataria.
From Desert to Rome: the Spice Roads of the Ancient World | 8:35
Ancient Rome Live | 80K subscribers | 475 views | August 11, 2025
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--> YouTube-Generated Transcript <-- 0:00 · Before Rome's temples filled with perfume and spice. Before the forum's markets smelled of 0:05 · pepper, caravans crossed deserts and ships hugged foreign coastlines [no they didn't] carrying luxury 0:12 · and power. This is the story of incense and spice. Not just what Rome consumed, but how 0:18 · it got there. We'll focus specifically on incense from Arabia and pepper from India. It starts here. 0:26 · Arabia failix in particular Yemen and Oman frankincense from Boswellia Sakra and mirror from 0:32 · Kifura harvested with skill and care in southern Arabia. These weren't just local luxuries they 0:38 · were global exports. Plenty of the Elder wrote all the incense produced in the world is attributed 0:44 · to Arabia. This region measures 1,200 stadia length 200 in breath and no land is more fertile. 0:52 · In reality, we can note that these goods also came from the horn of Africa, Somalia, Ethiopia, 0:59 · and Eritrea. Getting that incense to Rome that took infrastructure. This is the incense route, 1:05 · one major route from southern Arabia up to the land of the Navatans to Hegra, Petra, 1:09 · their port of Gaza, and onto Roman ports around the Mediterranean, especially Alexandria and 1:15 · Rome. Strabo noted through Nabataea are carried the aromatics from Arabia and the Indian goods 1:20 · some overland through Petra and then to Rooka. To secure these routes the emperor Augustus sent 1:26 · Aelius Gallus. Pliny the Elder wrote Aelius Gaius prefect of Egypt was sent by Augustus into Arabia 1:33 · but returned without success due to the difficulty of the terrain and the deceit of his guides. 1:38 · Thus led an expedition with over 10,000 men, aiming to open up direct land routes through 1:43 · Arabia Felix, and instead the army suffered disease and heat, highlighting the logistical 1:48 · power of the Nabotans. Rome would later absorb. Let's turn to the Nabataeans who controlled the 1:53 · traffic of spiced goods for centuries. Petra, their capital, wasn't just a city, it was a 2:00 · fortified distribution hub. Petra, the Nabataean capital, flourished between the 4th century BC 2:05 · and the 2nd century AD. It controlled overland trade from Arabia and became Rome's former ally 2:11 · before being annexed under Trajan in 106. There was the closely guarded entrance, the seek, 2:18 · a natural narrow gorge over half a mile long. The Nabotans, masters of the desert, captured the 2:23 · violent winter rains that flowed into the outlying passes and channels with sophisticated dams and 2:28 · sistns to irrigate the otherwise harsh terrain to create a verdant city with plazas for trade, 2:34 · temples, a theater, and countless rock cut tombs of the deceased. Most noteworthy, the so-called 2:40 · treasury and the monastery that may have also been places of worship of distinguished deified rulers. 2:46 · Hegra, Petra's southern capital, was the key stop between Dhofar and Petra. Also featuring 2:52 · monumental rock cut tombs. It was an important desert hub and storage site before caravans of 2:58 · camels advanced north. Rome eventually absorbed Navatian land routes and their ports in AD 106, 3:05 · creating the province of Arabia Petraea. Rome imported staggering volumes and estimated 3,000 3:11 · tons of incense annually. Plenty wrote, "We drain the wealth of India, China, and Arabia. Each year, 3:18 · 100 million sesterces are spent on these goods." He also noted, "A fleet 120 ships sailed yearly 3:26 · from India to Alexandria." Let's turn to shipment by sea to discuss the trafficking of pepper from 3:33 · India to Rome. Our main source for the maritime trade route is the paraplus of thean sea, 3:38 · a first century AD mariners's guide. Noting from Baraza and Muziris in India come great quantities 3:45 · of pepper, spikenard and fine cloth shipped on large vessels riding the monsoon winds. Sailing 3:52 · from Egyptian ports like Boniche and Mio Hormos, ships timed the monsoon winds to reach Muzir and 3:59 · Carerala, India. Also located on Egypt's Red Sea coast, Boniche became a major Roman port 4:05 · after the conquest of TMIC routes. From here, a short desert route led to Coptos on the Nile 4:10 · and then by river to Alexandria. We should also note in the time of the Romans the Amnes Trion, 4:15 · the river of Traan, a canal from the Red Sea to the Nile initiated by the Persians, enlarged by 4:21 · the Romans. Let's turn to pepper from India. Museras exported several types, black, long, 4:26 · and white pepper. highly prized in Roman kitchens, temples, and apothecaries. Scholars estimate that 4:32 · over 2,000 to 3,000 tons of pepper entered the Roman world annually by the 2nd century AD. Why 4:39 · was it so popular? It wasn't just a culinary fix. It was medicine. Galen, the famous physician, 4:45 · wrote that pepper is hot in biting. It heats and then thins the humors. He prescribed it 4:51 · to stimulate digestion, warm the body, and treat everything from coughs to melancholy. 4:55 · But medicine was just a fraction of the story. It dominated Roman cuisine. It appears in over 5:00 · 80% of the recipes of Aikius. From meat and fish to hunted fruit and even wine sauces. Plenty of 5:07 · the Elder wrote, "We buy it by weight like gold, not for medicine, but for pleasure. For doctors, 5:13 · spices were essential." Galen also listed with pepper, saffron, and myrrh as vital therapeutics 5:19 · to treat coughs, fever, melancholy. Nothing was complete without Arabian spices. And in temples, 5:26 · incense was divine language. At home, it was for purification. In death, it was for preservation. 5:32 · Just how important were these spices to the Roman world? Plenty of the Elder wrote, "Arabia alone 5:36 · produces frankincense and myrr, without which no public or private rights are complete." Where 5:42 · were these goods stored in ancient Rome? Here we are in the Ha Pipperaria, Rome spice malt. This 5:48 · was an extensive series of warehouses, Ha to store these precious goods in the heart of the city. The 5:53 · structure dates the time of dimmission. And for an in-depth look, you can tour it on a separate 5:58 · video at Darius Arya on YouTube. The Deissianic warehouses were destroyed in the fire of 191 in 6:04 · the reign of Commodus. According to Cassius Dio, the fire destroyed buildings near the sacred way, 6:10 · including those where Arabian and Indian spices and luxury goods were stored. Most of the pepper 6:15 · that Rome imported, coming from India, ended up in kitchens around the empire and doctor's clinics. 6:21 · It was expensive, but it was what flavored the empire and all of it coming into Rome passed 6:28 · through the warehouses like the Haitaria right in the Roman forum. The Roman Empire ran on conquest 6:37 · and control. It also ran on scent. From Oman to Domitian, from tap to temples. This was empire 6:45 · by incense. A global network bound by spice, sealed with smoke, stored right here in the heart 6:52 · of Rome. Before the fire of Cometus, physicians like Galen were using the forum of peace pictured 6:59 · here. And they had their offices and they then would go down this street, the Vicus Ad Carinas, 7:05 · to get to the Horrea Piperataria. We can walk down this same street, the Vicus ad Carinas 7:11 · that goes from the Esquiline into the Roman forum, reenacting that pathway that physicians like Galen 7:18 · once took on their way in the crowded streets of Rome to the Ha Pipparitaria. So we see to 7:25 · the right the exterior wall of the form of peace and to the left those are the hulking ruins of the 7:32 · basilica of Maxentius that sits a top the remains mostly buried of the Horrea Piperataria. But just 7:39 · think about the smells and the sights and that experience of walking down this street in the 7:45 · time of Imperial Rome when the Ha Piparitaria was actively used. It was essentially a vault 7:53 · with expensive imported products. And then we can make our way all the way down to Main Street, 8:00 · the the Sakra, where there would be stands and shops where people were actively selling those 8:07 · precious goods to the citizens of the Roman Empire. Thanks for joining us today in the 8:14 · heart of the Roman Forum, the epicenter of the Roman Empire. You can find us here on YouTube. 8:20 · Thanks for liking and subscribing every Monday. And of course on Wednesdays, we offer lectures 8:26 · from the vault. All kinds of deep dives into the history of ancient Rome. See you soon.
Foods in the ancient world must have been pretty boring.
No potatoes, tomatoes, corn, strawberries, blueberries, bananas, pineapples, vanilla, chocolate, no spices except what was imported from Asia, just to name a few.........................
In Arabia Felix, particularly Yemen and Oman, frankincense from Boswellia Sacra and myrrh from Commiphora were harvested with skill and care in southern Arabia. These weren't just local luxuries; they were global exports. Pliny the Elder wrote that all the incense produced in the world is attributed to Arabia, describing the region as measuring 1,200 stadia in length and 200 in breadth, with no land more fertile. In reality, these goods also came from the Horn of Africa—Somalia, Ethiopia, and Eritrea. Getting that incense to Rome required infrastructure. The Incense Route was a major path from southern Arabia through the land of the Nabataeans to Hegra, Petra, their port of Gaza, and onto Roman ports around the Mediterranean, especially Alexandria and Rome. Strabo noted that through Nabataea, aromatics from Arabia and Indian goods were carried, some overland through Petra and then to Rhuma.
To secure these routes, Emperor Augustus sent Aelius Gallus. Pliny the Elder wrote that Aelius Gallus, prefect of Egypt, was sent by Augustus into Arabia but returned without success due to the difficulty of the terrain and the deceit of his guides. He led an expedition with over 10,000 men, aiming to open direct land routes through Arabia Felix, but the army suffered from disease and heat, highlighting the logistical power of the Nabataeans, which Rome would later absorb.
The Nabataeans controlled the traffic of spiced goods for centuries. Petra, their capital, wasn't just a city; it was a fortified distribution hub, flourishing between the 4th century BC and the 2nd century AD. It controlled overland trade from Arabia and became Rome's ally before being annexed under Trajan in 106 AD. The closely guarded entrance, the Siq, was a natural narrow gorge over half a mile long. The Nabataeans, masters of the desert, captured violent winter rains with sophisticated dams and cisterns to irrigate the harsh terrain, creating a verdant city with plazas for trade, temples, a theater, and countless rock-cut tombs. Notable structures included the so-called Treasury and the Monastery, which may have been places of worship for distinguished deified rulers. Hegra, Petra's southern capital, was a key stop between Dhofar and Petra, featuring monumental rock-cut tombs and serving as a desert hub and storage site before camel caravans advanced north. Rome absorbed Nabataean land routes and ports in 106 AD, creating the province of Arabia Petraea.
Rome imported staggering volumes, an estimated 3,000 tons of incense annually. Pliny wrote, "We drain the wealth of India, China, and Arabia. Each year, 100 million sesterces are spent on these goods." He also noted that a fleet of 120 ships sailed yearly from India to Alexandria. The maritime trade route, detailed in the 1st-century AD Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, described great quantities of pepper, spikenard, and fine cloth shipped from Indian ports like Baraza and Muziris on large vessels riding the monsoon winds. From Egyptian ports like Berenice and Myos Hormos, ships timed the monsoon winds to reach Muziris and Kerala, India. Berenice, on Egypt's Red Sea coast, became a major Roman port after the conquest of trade routes. From there, a short desert route led to Coptos on the Nile, then by river to Alexandria. The Amnis Traianus, a canal from the Red Sea to the Nile initiated by the Persians and enlarged by the Romans, also facilitated trade.
Pepper from India—black, long, and white—was highly prized in Roman kitchens, temples, and apothecaries. Scholars estimate that 2,000 to 3,000 tons of pepper entered the Roman world annually by the 2nd century AD. It wasn't just a culinary fix; it was medicine. Galen, the famous physician, wrote that pepper is hot and biting, heating and thinning the humors, prescribing it to stimulate digestion, warm the body, and treat everything from coughs to melancholy. Pepper dominated Roman cuisine, appearing in over 80% of Apicius' recipes for meat, fish, fruit, and wine sauces. Pliny the Elder noted, "We buy it by weight like gold, not for medicine, but for pleasure." Spices like pepper, saffron, and myrrh were vital therapeutics for doctors, treating coughs, fever, and melancholy. In temples, incense was a divine language; at home, it was for purification; in death, it was for preservation. Pliny emphasized, "Arabia alone produces frankincense and myrrh, without which no public or private rites are complete."
These goods were stored in the Horrea Piperataria, Rome's spice market, an extensive series of warehouses to store precious goods in the heart of the city, dating to the time of Domitian. The warehouses were destroyed in the fire of 191 AD during Commodus' reign. According to Cassius Dio, the fire destroyed buildings near the Sacred Way, including those storing Arabian and Indian spices and luxury goods. Most of the pepper imported from India ended up in kitchens and doctors' clinics across the empire, passing through warehouses like the Horrea Piperataria in the Roman Forum. Physicians like Galen, working near the Forum of Peace, would travel down the Vicus ad Carinas to access these spices. The Horrea Piperataria, near the hulking ruins of the Basilica of Maxentius, was essentially a vault for expensive imported products. Along the Sacred Way, stands and shops sold these precious goods to the citizens of the Roman Empire.
The Roman Empire ran on conquest, control, and scent—from Oman to Domitian, from tap to temples. This was an empire bound by incense, a global network sealed with spice and smoke, stored in the heart of Rome.
They loved pepper.
https://freerepublic.com/focus/chat/3985128/posts
They had strawberries:
https://ncstrawberry.com/what-is-the-history-behind-strawberries/
The first mention of strawberries occurred sometime between 234-149 BC in the writings of Cato, a Roman Senator. The first descriptions published were mostly for the medicinal uses of the plant and not for the benefits of the fruit.
There’s a mosaic that appears to show the pineapple, which is a bromeliad that apparently got domesticated in Precolumbian Peru.
https://eyesofrome.com/blog/eyes-on-storytelling/mystery-in-an-ancient-mosaic
https://search.brave.com/search?q=bromeliad
I enjoy vanilla as well, but wouldn’t put it high on the list of excitement in cuisine.
https://www.thedailymeal.com/1278869/ancient-origins-vanilla/
Romans enjoyed plenty of tasty foods, some of which have fallen out of fashion or are expensive to cultivate or otherwise produce.
Thanks for doing that.
“They loved pepper.”
But they went wild over Chili Peppers after Columbus!.............
I had to investigate the history of bananas:
https://abgc.org.au/our-industry-old/history-of-bananas/
Bananas are believed to have originated up to 10,000 years ago and some scientists believe they may have been the world’s first fruit.
The first bananas are thought to have grown in the region that includes the Malaya Peninsula, Indonesia, the Philippines and New Guinea.
From here, traders and travelers took them to India, Africa and Polynesia. There were references to bananas from 600 BC when Buddhist scriptures, know as the Pali Canon, noted Indian traders travelling through the Malaysian region had tasted the fruit and brought plants back with them. In 327 BC, when Alexander The Great and his army invaded India, he discovered banana crop in the Indian Valleys. After tasting this unusual fruit for the first time, he introduced this new discovery to the Western world.
Strawberries were grown in Europe at the time of the Roman Empire-they also had access to some tropical fruits early on from sea trade...
The main reason spices such as black pepper were in demand in centuries gone by was there was no refrigeration available. That caused meat and fish to go bad quickly. Spices helped disguise the bad taste & odor.
Just let the spice keep on flowing.
Have gourmet guys read “The Goldeb Toad” by William Dalrymple? It talks about the Spice road and is very good
Nice, the AI corrected Navatans to Nabataeans. :^)
OTOH, the addition of the tomato, potato, peppers, corn (maize), and certain squash (well, and tobacco for that matter) to world cuisine has been transformative to nutrition, agriculture, and the economy.
“ Spices helped disguise the bad taste & odor.”
Interesting…I’d never thought of that before. I figured people had just grown tired of bland food.
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