Incense "joss" is derived from the Latin "deus" (god) via the Portuguese "deos" through the Javanese "dejos", through Chinese pidgin English. The raw materials are powdered and then mixed together with a binder to form a paste, which, for direct burning incense, is then cut and dried into pellets. Incense of the Athonite Orthodox Christian tradition is made by powdering frankincense or fir resin, mixing it with essential oils. Floral fragrances are the most common, but citrus such as lemon is not uncommon. The incense mixture is then rolled out into a slab approximately 1 cm thick and left until the
Incense clock and sinologist Edward Schafer asserts that incense clocks were probably an Indian invention, transmitted to China. American historian Silvio Bedini on the other hand asserts that incense clocks were derived in part from incense seals mentioned in Tantric Buddhist scriptures, which first came to light in China after those scriptures from India were translated into Chinese, but holds that the time-telling function of the seal was incorporated by the Chinese. Several types of incense clock have been found, the most common forms include the incense stick and incense seal. An incense stick clock uses incense sticks that have been calibrated