Land of Punt

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Land of Punt

The Land of Punt, also called Pwenet, or Pwene by the ancient Egypt

Ancient Egypt

Ancient Egypt was an Ancient history civilization in eastern North Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile in what is now the modern nation of Egypt....
ians, at times synonymous with Ta netjer, the "land of the god", was a fabled site in the Horn of Africa

Horn of Africa

The Horn of Africa is a peninsula in East Africa that juts for hundreds of kilometers into the Arabian Sea, and lies along the southern side of the Gulf of Aden....
and was known for producing and exporting gold, aromatic resins, African blackwood

African Blackwood

African Blackwood or Mpingo is a flowering plant in the family Fabaceae, native to seasonally dry regions of Africa from Senegal east to Eritrea and south to the Transvaal in South Africa....
, ebony

Ebony

Ebony is a general name for very dense black wood. In the strict sense it is yielded by several species in the genus Diospyros, but other heavy, black woods are sometimes also called ebony....
, ivory

Ivory

File:Ivory decoration.jpgIvory is formed from dentine and constitutes the bulk of the teeth and tusks of animals such as the elephant, hippopotamus, walrus, mammoth and narwhal....
, slaves and wild animals. Information about Punt has been found in ancient Egypt

Egypt

Egypt is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Western Asia. Covering an area of about , Egypt borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Gaza Strip and Israel to the northeast, the Red Sea to the east, Sudan to the south and Libya to the west....
ian records of trade missions to this region, most likely located in present day Somalia

Somalia

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Encyclopedia

The Land of Punt, also called Pwenet, or Pwene by the ancient Egypt

Ancient Egypt

Horn of Africa

African Blackwood

Ebony

Ivory

Egypt

Somalia

Somalia , officially the Republic of Somalia and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic, is a country located in the Horn of Africa....
.

Based on evidence from predynastic graves in Upper Egypt, W.M. Flinders Petrie believed that Punt was founded on the Horn of Africa in predynastic times by Mesopotamian colonists, who subsequently invaded Egypt and founded the dynastic rulership. He associated these Punites with the Punic or Phoenic peoples of Canaan and (much later) of Carthage. This forms part of the Dynastic Race Theory.

Egyptian expeditions to Punt

The earliest recorded Egyptian expedition to Punt was organized by Pharaoh

Pharaoh

Pharaoh is a title used in many modern discussions of the ancient Egyptian rulers of all periods. In antiquity this title began to be used for the ruler who was the religious and political leader of united ancient Egypt, only during the New Kingdom, specifically, during the middle of the Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt....
Sahure

Sahure

Sahure was the second king of ancient Egypt's Fifth dynasty of Egypt. He was a son of queen Neferhetepes, as shown in scenes from the causeway of Sahure's pyramid complex in Abusir.....
of the Fifth Dynasty

Fifth dynasty of Egypt

The Third, Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Dynasties of ancient Egypt are often combined under the group title, Old Kingdom....
(25th century BC) although slaves from Punt are recorded as having been in Egypt in the time of king Khufu of the Fourth Dynasty of Egypt

Fourth dynasty of Egypt

The Fourth Dynasty of Ancient Egypt, also written Dynasty 4 and Dynasty IV, is characterized as a golden age of the Old Kingdom....
.

Subsequently, there were more expeditions to Punt in the Sixth Dynasty of Egypt

Sixth dynasty of Egypt

The Third, Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Dynasties of History of Egypt are often combined under the title "Old Kingdom"....
, the Eleventh dynasty of Egypt

Eleventh dynasty of Egypt

The Eleventh dynasty of ancient Egypt was one group of rulers, whose earlier members are grouped with the four preceding dynasties to form the First Intermediate Period, while the later members are considered part of the Middle Kingdom of Egypt....
, the Twelfth dynasty of Egypt

Twelfth dynasty of Egypt

The Eleventh , Twelfth, Thirteenth and Fourteenth Dynasties of ancient Egypt are often combined under the group title, Middle Kingdom of Egypt....
and the Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt

Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt

The Eighteenth Dynasty is perhaps the best known of all the dynasties of ancient Egypt. As well as a number of Egypt's most powerful pharaohs, it included Tutankhamun, whose tomb, uncovered by Howard Carter in 1922, was one of the greatest of all archaeological discoveries, being completely undisturbed by tomb robbers....
. In the Twelfth dynasty of Egypt, trade with Punt was celebrated in popular literature in "The Tale of the Shipwrecked Sailor"

In the reign of Mentuhotep III

Mentuhotep III

Sankhkare Mentuhotep III of the Eleventh dynasty of Egypt was Pharaoh of Egypt during the Middle Kingdom of Egypt. He continued the building program of his father Mentuhotep II, erecting temples to among others, Amun and Montu, local gods who had grown in prominence during the First Intermediate Period....
(around 1950 BC), an officer named Hannu

Hannu

Hannu, alt. Hennu, Henu, Henenu etc., was an Egyptian explorer serving under Mentuhotep III. He bore the titles of Bearer of the Red Sea, Steward, Sole Companion, Chief of the Six Courts of Justice....
organized one or more voyages to Punt, but it is uncertain whether he traveled on these expeditions. Trading missions of the 12th dynasty pharaohs Senusret I

Senusret I

Senusret I was the second pharaoh of the Twelfth dynasty of Egypt of Ancient Egypt. He ruled from 1971 BC to 1926 BC, and was one of the most powerful kings of this Dynasty....
and Amenemhat II

Amenemhat II

Nubkhaure Amenemhat II was the third pharaoh of the Twelfth dynasty of Egypt of Ancient Egypt, not much is known about his reign. He ruled Egypt for 35 years from 1929 BC to 1895 BC and was the son of Senusret I through the latter's chief wife, Queen Nefru....
had also successfully navigated their way to and from the mysterious land of Punt.

In the Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt

Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt

The Eighteenth Dynasty is perhaps the best known of all the dynasties of ancient Egypt. As well as a number of Egypt's most powerful pharaohs, it included Tutankhamun, whose tomb, uncovered by Howard Carter in 1922, was one of the greatest of all archaeological discoveries, being completely undisturbed by tomb robbers....
, Hatshepsut built a Red Sea fleet to facilitate trade between the head of the Gulf of Aqaba and points south as far as Punt to bring mortuary goods to Karnak

Karnak

The Karnak temple complex, universally known only as Karnak, describes a vast conglomeration of ruined temples, chapels, pylons and other buildings....
in exchange for Nubian gold. Hatshepsut

Hatshepsut

Hatshepsut , meaning, Foremost of Noble Ladies, was the fifth pharaoh of the Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt of Ancient Egypt. She is generally regarded by Egyptologists as one of the most successful pharaohs, reigning longer than any other woman of an Indigenous peoples Egyptian dynasty....
personally made the most famous ancient Egyptian expedition that sailed to Punt. During the reign of Queen Hatshepsut

Hatshepsut

Hatshepsut , meaning, Foremost of Noble Ladies, was the fifth pharaoh of the Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt of Ancient Egypt. She is generally regarded by Egyptologists as one of the most successful pharaohs, reigning longer than any other woman of an Indigenous peoples Egyptian dynasty....
in the 15th century BC ships regularly crossed the red Sea in order to obtain bitumen, copper, carved amulets, naptha and other goods transported overland and down the dead sea to Elat at the head of the gulf of Aqaba where they were joined with Frankincense and myrrh

Myrrh

Myrrh is a reddish-brown resinous material, the dried Plant sap of a number of trees, but primarily from Commiphora myrrha, native to Yemen, Somalia, the eastern parts of Ethiopia and Commiphora gileadensis, native to Jordan....
coming north both by sea and overland along trade routes through the mountains running north along the east coast of the Red Sea.

A report of that 5 ship voyage survives on relief

Relief

A relief is a sculptured artwork where a modelled form is raised, or in sunken-relief lowered, from a flatish background plane without being disconnected from it....
s in Hatshepsut's funerary temple

Temple

A temple is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities, such as prayer and sacrifice, or analogous rites. A ??templum?? constituted a sacred precinct as defined by a priest, or augur....
at Deir el-Bahri

Deir el-Bahri

Deir el-Bahri is a complex of mortuary temples and tombs located on the west bank of the Nile, opposite the city of Luxor, Egypt.In 1997, 58 tourists and 4 Egyptians were massacred here by Islamic terrorists from Al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya in what has become to be known as The 'Luxor massacre'....
. Throughout the temple texts, Hatshepsut "maintains the fiction that her envoy" Chancellor Nehsi

Nehsi

Nehsi was an official at the court of the ancient Egyptian pharaoh Hatshepsut. He appears to have been of Nubia descent–nehsi meaning He of Nubia–and held a number of important official positions, such as Wearer of the Royal Seal and Treasurer ....
, who is mentioned as the head of the expedition, had travelled to Punt "in order to extract tribute from the natives" who admit their allegiance to the Egyptian pharaoh. In reality, Nehsi's expedition was a simple trading mission to a land, Punt, which was by this time a well-established trading post. Moreover, Nehsi's visit to Punt was not inordinately brave since he was "accompanied by at least five shiploads of [Egyptian] marines" and greeted warmly by the chief of Punt and his immediate family. The Puntites "traded not only in their own produce of incense, ebony and short-horned cattle, but [also] in goods from other African states including gold, ivory and animal skins." According to the temple reliefs, the Land of Punt was ruled at that time by King Parahu and Queen Ati. This well illustrated expedition of Hatshepsut occurred in Year 9 of the female pharaoh's reign with the blessing of the god Amun

Amun

Amun, reconstructed Egyptian language Yamanu , was the name of a deity in Egyptian mythology who gradually rose from being an abstract concept to the patron deity of Thebes, Egypt and one of the most important deities in Ancient Egypt before fading into obscurity....
:

While the Egyptians "were not particularly well versed in the hazards of sea travel, and the long voyage to Punt, must have seemed something akin to a journey to the moon for present-day explorers...the rewards of [obtaining frankincense, ebony and myrrh] clearly outweighted the risks." Hatshepsut's 18th dynasty successors, such as Thutmose III

Thutmose III

Thutmose III was the sixth Pharaoh of the Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt. During the first twenty-two years of Thutmose's reign he was co-regent with his aunt, Hatshepsut, who was named the pharaoh....
and Amenhotep III

Amenhotep III

Amenhotep III was the ninth pharaoh of the Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt. According to different authors, he ruled Egypt from June 1391 BC-December 1353 BC or June 1388 BC to December 1351 BC/1350 BC after his father Thutmose IV died....
also continued the Egyptian tradition of trading with Punt. The trade with Punt continued into the start of the 20th dynasty before terminating prior to the end of Egypt's New Kingdom

New Kingdom

The New Kingdom, sometimes referred to as the Egyptian Empire, is the period in ancient Egyptian History of Ancient Egypt between the 16th century BC and the 11th century BC, covering the Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt, Nineteenth dynasty of Egypt, and Twentieth dynasty of Egypt....
. Papyrus Harris I

Papyrus Harris I

Papyrus Harris I is also known as the Great Harris Papyrus and simply the Harris Papyrus . Its technical designation is Papyrus British Museum 9999....
, a contemporary Egyptian document which detailed events that occurred in the reign of the early 20th dynasty king Ramesses III

Ramesses III

Usimare Ramesses III was the second Pharaoh of the Twentieth dynasty of Egypt and is considered to be the last great New Kingdom king to wield any substantial authority over Egypt....
, includes an explicit description of an Egyptian expedition's return from Punt:

After the end of the New Kingdom period, Punt became "an unreal and fabulous land of myths and legends."

Ta netjer

The ancient Egyptians

Egyptians

Egyptians is the name of the nationality and Mediterranean North African ethnic group native to Egypt.Egyptian identity is closely tied to the Geography of Egypt, dominated by the lower Nile Valley, the small strip of cultivable land stretching from the Cataracts of the Nile to the Mediterranean Sea and enclosed by desert both to the Easte...
also called Punt Ta netjer, meaning "God's Land". This designation did not mean that Punt was considered a "Holy Land" by the Egyptians; rather, it was used to refer to regions of the Sun God

Solar deity

A Solar Deity , is a deity who represents the sun, or an aspect of it. People have worshiped these for all of recorded history. Hence, many beliefs have formed around this worship, such as the "missing sun" found in many cultures ....
, i.e., regions located in the direction of the sunrise. These eastern regions were blessed with precious products, such as incense, used in temples. The term was used not only in reference to Punt, located southeast of Egypt, but also in reference to regions of Asia

Asia

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent. It covers 8.6% of the Earth's total surface area and, with over 4 billion people, it contains more than 60% of the world's current human population....
east and northeast of Egypt, such as Lebanon

Lebanon

Lebanon , officially the Republic of Lebanon or Lebanese Republic , is a country in Western Asia, on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea....
, which was the source of wood for temples.

Older literature

Johannes Dumichen
Johannes Dumichen

Johannes Dumichen was a Germany Egyptologist.Dumichen was born near Glog?w. He studied philology and theology in Berlin and Breslau. Subsequently he became a pupil of Karl Richard Lepsius and Heinrich Karl Brugsch, and devoted himself to the study of Egyptian inscriptions....
: Die Flotte einer ägyptischen Königin, Leipzig, 1868.
Wilhelm Max Müller
Wilhelm Max Müller

Wilhelm Max M?ller, Ph.D. was an United States Oriental scholar, born at Gleisenberg, Germany. He was the son of Friedrich Max M?ller and the grandson of German romantic poet Wilhelm M?ller....
: Asien und Europa nach altägyptischen Denkmälern, Leipzig, 1893.
Adolf Erman
Adolf Erman

File:Adolf Erman.jpgJohann Peter Adolf Erman was a renowned Egyptologist and lexicographer; born in Berlin, the son of Georg Adolf Erman and grandson of Paul Erman....
: Life in Ancient Egypt, London, 1894.
Édouard Naville
Édouard Naville

Captaine Henri ?douard Naville was a Switzerland egyptologist. He studied in London, Paris and Berlin .He first journeyed to Egypt in 1865, and published the myths of Horus from the temple at Edfu in 1870....
: "Deir-el-Bahri" in Egypt Exploration Fund, Memoirs XII, XIII, XIV, and XIX, London, 1894 et seq.
James Henry Breasted: A History of the Ancient Egyptians, New York, 1908.

External links

with quotes from Breasted (1906) and Petrie (1939)
by Amelia Ann Blanford Edwards (1891)
at Deir el-Bahri; and discussion by Dr. Karl H. Leser

News reports on Wadi Gawasis excavations

(Boston University Bridge, 18 March 2005). Excavations at Wadi Gawasis, possibly the ancient Egyptian port Saaw.
(New Scientist, 23 March 2005).
(EurekAlert, 21 April 2005).
(Boston University Daily Free Press, 27 April 2005).
(Science News Online, 7 May 2005).
(Al Ahram, 2 June 2005).
(Deutsche Press Agentur, 26 January 2006).
(MSNBC, 6 March 2006).