This report traces the historical literature on the development of the damask rose industry. It begins with a sadly sparse fossil and archaeologic record and continues to the present. The perfection of methods for the production of attar and rose water fromRosa damascena is reviewed, as are cultural practices and current research programs. The various arguments to explain the evolution ofRosa damascena are presented along with accessory information needed to evaluate them critically. Evidence is presented to support the theory thatR. damascena was originally an eastern Mediterranean hybrid betweenR. gallica andR. Phoenicia. It is unfortunate that so few botanists have been willing to study this domesticate, as too many horticulturists have been concerned only with cultivation and higher yields. Most of the current literature on this species is either inaccessible, because of language or general unavailability, or of a popular nature and therefore difficult to evaluate. It is hoped that this review will encourage more research on industrial roses and aid those who wish to search the literature. May it also suggest to crop evolutionists that much work remains to be done on the subject of the domestication of ornamental and medicinal plants.