Incense, Camels and Collared Rim Jars: Desert Trade Routes and Maritime Outlets in the Second Millennium

Summary. The camel‐borne incense trade, from Arabia to the Levant, was an important element in the economy of the eastern Mediterranean region in the first millennium BC. This paper suggests that its origins can be traced back to the Late Bronze Age, and that the junction of overland and maritime routes explains the wealth of coastal sites such as Tel Nami, Israel. The occurrence there of Collared Rim Jars in contexts dating to the thirteenth century BC suggests that the form began as a transport container, capable of being carried on board ship or on land by camels.