The Aromatic Journey

Part 5 of the “Scent and the Roman Empire” Series

The power of Rome didn’t just flow from its legions—it floated on the air, carried by the scent of empire.

In the Roman world, fragrance was a commodity of luxury, diplomacy, and spiritual power. To possess it was to command status. To trade it was to control influence. By the first century CE, the streets of Rome were awash in imported perfumes, oils, and spices, all arriving via a vast and carefully maintained trade network that extended from the Indian Ocean to the Arabian Peninsula, from the deserts of Egypt to the harbors of Southern Italy.

At the heart of this fragrant economy were two of the most coveted substances of the ancient world: frankincense and myrrh. Harvested from the sap of trees found primarily in southern Arabia (modern-day Yemen and Oman) and northeastern Africa, these resins were so prized that Pliny the Elder wrote of them extensively in his Natural History, noting their value rivaled that of gold. They were used in temples, funerals, personal care, and even political displays of power.

To feed Rome’s appetite for scent, merchants and caravans traversed what came to be known as the Incense Route—a network of desert roads and maritime channels stretching from Arabia Felix, across the Red Sea, and into Alexandria, before winding their way to Ostia, Rome’s major port. From there, aromatic goods were distributed throughout the empire.

These journeys were perilous and long. Caravans traveled for weeks across desert landscapes, protected by armed guards, carrying not only incense but also cinnamon, cassia, nard, saffron, and exotic wood oils. Piracy and banditry were constant threats. Yet the profits were staggering. According to the historian Strabo, the Nabataeans of Petra grew rich as middlemen, levying tolls on every incense caravan that passed through their territory.

Rome’s elites, eager to distinguish themselves, fueled the demand. Wealthy households competed to own the rarest scents, commissioning custom blends from perfumers who guarded their recipes like state secrets. Emperors themselves were deeply involved—Nero famously spent an entire year’s state incense reserve on the funeral of his wife Poppaea. The act was more than excess. It was a declaration: scent was power, and Rome had enough to burn.

But the trade was not without critics. Pliny lamented that “there exists no shame in paying for perfume its weight in silver,” decrying the excesses of his contemporaries. Yet even he admitted its allure was irresistible.

Scent was also a tool of diplomacy. Embassies from eastern kingdoms would bring aromatic gifts to Rome as tributes. A single vial of rare oil could communicate loyalty, peace—or ambition. In a world where politics and ritual intertwined, fragrance traveled not only across deserts, but between empires and egos.

Behind every waft of incense in a Roman temple or drop of perfume in a senator’s bathhouse, there was a story of trade, labor, and ambition. The Roman Empire did not just conquer land—it colonized scent.

And in doing so, it left behind a legacy that still lingers in the air.

Coming Next: Part 6 – Fragrance and Medicine: Healing with Scent in Ancient Rome