[balrog666]

Caesar and Pompey had one civil war, Caesar winning.

Yes, according to my "Cartoon History of the Universe," Ceasar was tracking down Scipio out in the Egyptian desert until someone handed him Pompey's head. So, it wasn't the Sahara proper.

I tracked down a few references to the Romans and arabs making ice in the desert using nothing more that shielded shallow pans and preserving the ice in wells during the day. Also a couple on the Persians inventing "ice cream" circa 400 BCE. It'll probably come to me at 3:00 am and I'll wake up going "Eureka!"

[VadeRetro]

You seem to have focussed in on the important part. Follow the ice cream!

[AndrewC]

Ice cream probably evolved from chilled wines and other beverages.

Around 3,000 years go, the Emperors of China are believed to have enjoyed frozen delicacies made from snow and ice flavoured with fruit, wine and honey.

In the 4th Century B.C., Alexander the Great is said to have been fond of iced beverages, and by 62 A.D., the Roman Emperor Nero is recorded to have sent fleets of slaves to the Apennine mountains to collect snow and ice to be flavoured with nectar, fruit pulp and honey.

Legend has it that the great adventurer Marco Polo brought back recipes for water ices from China to Venice (Italy) in the 13th Century, however since the Persian Empire was already enjoying frozen fruit juice, teas, wines and liqueurs by then, it seems more likely that these products spread to Italy via Persia. The Arabic word charab is thought to be the derivation of the Italian sorbetto, French sorbet and English sherbet.