Olibanum

Olibanum has been called the "gift of kings," and for good reason: in the ancient world, it was among the most coveted substances on earth, traded across vast distances and valued by weight alongside gold and precious stones. The land of Punt, referenced repeatedly in Egyptian texts, is believed to have been located in the Horn of Africa — modern-day Somalia and Djibouti — and expeditions to Punt were mounted specifically to secure supplies of olibanum for temple rituals. Queen Hatshepsut's famous expedition in approximately 1470 BCE brought back living Boswellia trees to be planted in the terraces of her mortuary temple at Deir el-Bahri.

In ancient Rome, Pliny the Elder recorded that the incense trade generated more wealth than any other commodity, and the city of Alexandria served as the principal emporium where African and Arabian olibanum was consolidated for distribution across the Mediterranean world. The resin's significance extended beyond religion and commerce — it was prescribed by physicians from Hippocrates to Avicenna for conditions ranging from digestive complaints to wound healing, uses now partially validated by modern research into the anti-inflammatory properties of boswellic acids. In contemporary perfumery, olibanum has experienced a renaissance, anchoring the "sacred woods" trend exemplified by fragrances like Bois d'Encens by Armani Prive and Sacred Osmanthus by Ormonde Jayne, where its ancient solemnity meets modern minimalism.