Make and Learn: Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh

In this session we will find out more about the story of gold, frankincense, and myrrh in the Ancient World and, as we are learning, we will make scented beeswax candles using natural oils inspired by these fascinating stories. We will journey from Thebes to Petra to Athens to Rome and come away having learned something new and made something to take home with us.

The Ancient Egyptians made perilous sea voyages to acquire them, the Nabataeans built cities in the desert from the profits they made from trading them, and the Romans launched vast armies to control them. They even appear as the first ‘Christmas presents’ ever given in the story of the Nativity. But what exactly were these precious aromatics from Arabia and the Horn of Africa that empires fought over and were considered the appropriate gifts for the divine in multiple traditions.

The session will last about 90 minutes. Tickets cost £20 and include all the materials and instructions needed to make a scented beeswax candle to take home.