ABSTRACT As early as the fourth century BCE, the Nabateans established the Incense Road to facilitate the transport of aromatic substances (frankincense and myrrh) from the Arabian Peninsula to the Mediterranean basin. An important part of this road was the segment between Petra and Gaza. Although studied before, the accurate route of parts of this segment is still vague since evidence of Roman milestones are scarce and significant portions of the landscape have changed dramatically in modern times, essentially wiping out the tracks of ancient roads. In this study, we use Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Least Cost Path (LCP) analyses for reconstructing the original path of the Incense Road as well as verifying the factors influencing its establishment. The implemented analyses support the archeological evidence of two travel phases between Petra and Oboda (Avdat): During the first phase the Nabateans used the Darb es-Sultan route; during the second phase, from the first century BCE onwards, they passed through the Ramon Crater. This is the first time such reconstruction is made in the southern Levant. It was found that slope degree and the distance to water resources are dominant factors in reconstructing the accurate path of the Incense Road.

中文翻译：

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从佩特拉到加沙的“香道”：使用 GIS 和成本函数的分析

摘要 早在公元前四世纪，纳巴泰人就建立了香道，以促进芳香物质（乳香和没药）从阿拉伯半岛到地中海盆地的运输。这条道路的一个重要部分是佩特拉和加沙之间的路段。尽管之前研究过，但由于罗马里程碑的证据很少，而且大部分景观在现代发生了巨大变化，基本上消除了古代道路的痕迹，因此该路段部分的准确路线仍然模糊不清。在本研究中，我们使用地理信息系统（GIS）和最小成本路径（LCP）分析来重建香道的原始路径，并验证影响其建立的因素。实施的分析支持了佩特拉和奥博达 (Avdat) 之间两个旅行阶段的考古证据：在第一阶段，纳巴泰人使用了 Darb es-Sultan 路线；在第二阶段，从公元前一世纪开始，他们穿过了拉蒙陨石坑。这是首次在黎凡特南部进行此类重建。发现坡度和与水资源的距离是重建香道准确路径的主导因素。