Balsam of Mecca (or balsam of Gilead or balm of Gilead) is a resinous gum of the tree Commiphora gileadensis (syn. Commiphora opobalsamum), native to southern Arabia and also naturalized, in ancient and again in modern times, in ancient Judea/Palestine/Israel. The most famous site of balsam production in the region was the Jewish town of Ein Gedi. The resin was valued in medicine and perfume in ancient Greece and the Roman Empire.

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  • Balsam of Mecca (or balsam of Gilead or balm of Gilead) is a resinous gum of the tree Commiphora gileadensis (syn. Commiphora opobalsamum), native to southern Arabia and also naturalized, in ancient and again in modern times, in ancient Judea/Palestine/Israel. The most famous site of balsam production in the region was the Jewish town of Ein Gedi. The resin was valued in medicine and perfume in ancient Greece and the Roman Empire. Thus Pliny the Elder mentions it as one of the ingredients of the "Royal Perfume" of the Parthians in his Naturalis Historia. In Latin the resin was technically known as opobalsamum; the dried fruit was called carpobalsamum, and the wood xylobalsamum. When "balm" or "balsam" is mentioned in translations of the Bible this is probably the product that is intended. Its literary connection with Gilead comes from Genesis chapter 37 and from Jeremiah chapters 8 and 46 (quoted below).
  • Commiphora opobalsamum (syn. Commiphora gileadensis) est un arbre originaire du sud de l'Arabie et naturalisés, dans l'antiquité et de nouveau à l'époque moderne, dans l'ancienne Judée / Palestine / Israël.
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  • Andrew Dalby
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  • Balm of Gilead (disambiguation)
  • other products called Balm of Gilead
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  • Andrew
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dbpprop:isbn
  • 415232597 (xsd:integer)
  • 714127205 (xsd:integer)
dbpprop:place
  • London
  • London, New York
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  • British Museum Press
  • Routledge
dbpprop:reference
dbpprop:surname
  • Dalby
dbpprop:title
  • Dangerous Tastes: the story of spices
  • Food in the ancient world from A to Z
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dbpprop:year
  • 2000 (xsd:integer)
  • 2003 (xsd:integer)
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  • Balsam of Mecca (or balsam of Gilead or balm of Gilead) is a resinous gum of the tree Commiphora gileadensis (syn. Commiphora opobalsamum), native to southern Arabia and also naturalized, in ancient and again in modern times, in ancient Judea/Palestine/Israel. The most famous site of balsam production in the region was the Jewish town of Ein Gedi. The resin was valued in medicine and perfume in ancient Greece and the Roman Empire.
  • Commiphora opobalsamum (syn. Commiphora gileadensis) est un arbre originaire du sud de l'Arabie et naturalisés, dans l'antiquité et de nouveau à l'époque moderne, dans l'ancienne Judée / Palestine / Israël.
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  • Balsam of Mecca
  • Commiphora opobalsamum
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