POMPEII HOUSEHOLD INCENSE INCLUDED IMPORTS FROM ASIA AND AFRICA

Researchers have analysed ash residues from household incense burners in Pompeii and identified imported aromatic substances alongside native plants, according to a study published in the journal Antiquity. The Roman city was buried under volcanic ash when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79AD. Scientists examined ash from ritual vessels using laboratory techniques to determine what was burned as offerings in domestic religious practices.

The analysis found that households burned woody plants, stone fruit, laurel plants, and possibly wine or grape extracts. Researchers also identified traces of Burseraceae resins originating from Asia or sub-Saharan Africa, providing the first archaeological evidence of incense offerings in Pompeian domestic worship. According to the study, these aromatic resins from Arabia, African rainforests and Asian tropical regions were traded across the Red Sea from at least the first century BC, then shipped through Alexandria to Italian ports at Portus and Puteoli. Johannes Eber, an archaeologist from the University of Zurich and author of the study, stated that the findings reveal Pompeii's far-reaching trade connections.

The preservation of ash on household altars has allowed researchers to examine domestic ritual practices in unprecedented detail. Incense burners are frequently excavated at Roman period sites, but what specific substances were burned has remained uncertain until now. The study demonstrates that even in cities destroyed nearly 2,000 years ago, material analysis can reveal information about trade networks and daily religious practices in the ancient world.