From early times the ancient peoples burned fragrant incense in their religious ceremonies.  As early as the 15th century BC a Queen of Egypt named Hatshepsut sent a naval expedition down the Red Sea to a land called Punt to retrieve the incense.  Both frankincense and myrrh were collected as resins from Yemen.  Incense was also found in Somalia.
     As early as 2000 BC there was trade between Mesopotamia, Bahrain, Oman, Pakistan, India and probably Africa.  At the tip of southern Arabia there were merchants who received goods from India.  In Yemen there was not only incense but also cassia and cinnamon.  Solomon was supposed to have traded for spices, ivory, and gold with some southern kingdom.  Whether or not this material may have originated from India or Africa has not been proven. 

   THIS IS AN INCENSE CUP WITH HOLES PERFORATED NEAR THE BOTTOM TO
CREATE A DRAFT FOR THE BURNING EMBERS BELOW THE INCENSE PIECES.

     A LAMP ON THE LEFT WITH CRIMPED RIM WHERE THE LINEN WICK WAS PLACED INTO OLIVE
      OIL OR ANIMAL FAT.  ON THE RIGHT WAS A MINIATURE INCENSE ALTAR FROM TELL KHEFEILEH.
 

      A study of incense and trade routes by Michael Artzy (Oxford Journal of Archaeology 13(2) 1994) indicated Egyptian dependence on two types of incense coming through Israel (Retenu) from the time of Thutmosis III (14th century BC) onward.  The incenses may have been pistacia terebinthus (turpentine bush/tree resin) and a term to designate two forms of incense; frankincense and myrrh or some other combination of these three aromatic resins. In addition to these three incenses there may have been a rock rose resin in use from the Israeli - Jordanian highlands of those days. There was evidence in southern Israel coastal ruins near named Tell Jemneh of early domestication of the one-humped camel as early as the 14th-13th century BC as reported by Paula Wapnish  (Camels, Caravans and Camel
    Pastorilists at Tell Jemneh, Near Eastern Society of Columbia University 13, 1981).  The dating of the earliest times when pack camels were known to be used in Israel and Egypt is a disputed subject.