Overview

Scents of Arabia presents an innovative interdisciplinary exploration of the role of scents and incense in ancient Arabian societies. Bringing together leading experts in archaeology, biomolecular science, sensory studies, history, and ethnography, it reveals how aromatic substances were deeply embedded in social, ritual, and economic life across time. The book challenges traditional trade-focused narratives and instead highlights the complex, multisensory dimensions of scent - as a medium of communication, identity, and religious experience. Emphasizing the cultural agency of olfaction, the contributions of this book offer new frameworks for understanding how ancient societies perceived, used, and valued aromatic substances. This volume positions olfactory heritage as a key element of historical inquiry and advocates for its recognition within broader debates on intangible cultural heritage.

Full Product Details

Author:   Arnulf Hausleiter (Scientific Officer (Wissenschaftlicher Referent), Deutsches Archäologisches Institut., Orient Department) ,  Barbara Huber
Publisher:   Archaeopress
Imprint:   Archaeopress Archaeology
Weight:   0.834kg
ISBN:  

9781805830740

ISBN 10:   1805830740
Pages:   130
Publication Date:   13 November 2025
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Manufactured on demand  
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Table of Contents

Guidelines and Transliteration Preface Titles of papers read at the Seminar for Arabian Studies special session ‘Scents of Arabia: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Ancient Olfactory Worlds’ New dimensions of interdisciplinary research on ancient scents and incense in Arabia – Arnulf Hausleiter and Barbara Huber ‘Aššur, accept! Aššur, listen!’ Connecting Arabia and Assyria through aromatics and olfaction – Kiersten Neumann Aššurbanipal’s bdellium: revisiting Commiphora wightii in the Persian Gulf – Sureshkumar Muthukumaran The identifications of incenses: lessons learned in the organic analyses in the Mediterranean and the Levant – Elisabeth Dodinet Exploring the aromatic diversity of incense materials at the ancient oasis of Taymāʾ using metabolic profiling – Barbara Huber, Arnulf Hausleiter, Michèle Dinies, Muhammad H. Al-Najem, Majed T.F. Alonazy, Ina Säumel, Daniel Giddings Vassão, Ricardo Fernandes, Nicole Boivin, Patrick Roberts and Thi Lam Huong Pham The archaeological and ethnographic heritage of portable incense burner production in Dhofar, the southern Arabian Peninsula – William Gerard Zimmerle Outlook: the scents of Arabia – a ‘nose-on’ approach – Sofia Collette Ehrich List of contributors

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Author Information

Arnulf Hausleiter is a Near Eastern archaeologist and scientific officer for the archaeology of the Arabian Peninsula at the Orient Department of the German Archaeological Institute (DAI), Berlin, Germany. His scientific research focuses on the archaeology and environment of the oases in north-western Arabia, their networks and socio-cultural practices. Barbara Huber is post-doctoral researcher at the Bonn Center for ArchaeoSciences, University of Bonn, and the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology in Jena, Germany. She specializes in biomolecular archaeology and metabolomics, exploring the role of scents, plants, and organic residues in ancient cultural and environmental practices.

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