Histories

Again, Arabian Peninsula [45,25] (region (general)), AsiaArabia is the most distant to the south of all inhabited countries: and this is the only country which produces frankincense and myrrh and casia and cinnamon and gum-mastich. All these except myrrh are difficult for the Arabians to get.

They gather frankincense by burning that storax[*](A kind of gum, producing an acrid smoke when burnt, and therefore used as a disinfectant.) which Phoenicians carry to Greece [22,39] (nation), EuropeHellas; they burn this and so get the frankincense; for the spice-bearing trees are guarded by small winged snakes of varied color, many around each tree; these are the snakes that attack Egypt [30,27] (nation), Africa Egypt. Nothing except the smoke of storax will drive them away from the trees.