For the first time, evidence of frankincense - aromatic resin used in incense and perfumes - being used in the elaborate burials of Roman Britain's elite has been discovered.
The findings by a team of scientists led by the University of Bradford prove that, even while the Roman Empire was in decline, these precious substances were being transported to its furthest northern outpost.
The discovery was made by carrying out molecular analysis of materials previously thought to be of little interest - debris inside burial containers and residues on skeletal remains and plaster body casings.
Until now, evidence for the use of resins in ancient funerary rites has rarely come to light outside of Egypt.
The samples came from burial sites across Britain, in Dorset, Wiltshire, London and York, dating from the third to the fourth century AD.
Of the forty-nine burials analysed, four showed traces of frankincense - originating from southern Arabia or eastern Africa - and ten others contained evidence of resins imported from the Mediterranean region and northern Europe.
Classical texts mention these aromatic, antimicrobial substances as being used as a practical measure to mask the smell of decay or slow decomposition during the often lengthy funeral rites of the Roman elite.
But it was their ritual importance which justified their transportation from one end of the empire to the other. Seen both as gifts from the gods and to the gods, these resins were thought to purify the dead and help them negotiate the final rite of passage to the afterlife, researchers said.
"Our approach of analysing grave deposits to find the molecular signatures of the resins - which fortunately are very distinctive - has enabled us to carry out the first systematic study across a whole province," Rhea Brettell from the University of Bradford said.
These resins were only recovered from burials of higher status individuals, identified from the type of container used, the clothing they were wearing and items buried with them.
This is consistent with the known value of frankincense in antiquity and the fact it had to be brought to Britain via what, at the time, was a vast and complex trade route.
"It is remarkable that the first evidence for the use of frankincense in Britain should come from such seemingly unpromising samples yet our analysis demonstrates that traces of these exotic resins can survive for over 1700 years in what others would reject as dirt," said Carl Heron University of Bradford Professor of Archaeological Sciences, who led the research.
The study was published in the Journal of Archaeological Science.
