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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.

--> 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.