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The Land of Punt is Eritrea (Part I)
Written by Magazine theme by StudioPress
Friday, 09 April 2010 01:14
To the ancient Egyptians, the land of Punt was the most exotic and mysterious of places to visit.
It seems to have been considered by them a most unique haven; an emporium of goods for
both king and gods.
For scholars however, Punt has been a challenging place to pinpoint. Using quotes from the
leading scholars and experts on Punt, this paper will demonstrate a strong case that Punt was
undoubtedly an African kingdom located in modern day Eritrea and eastern-Sudan.
The Location of Punt
In this section, various scholars' opinions were included on where the ancient Kingdom of Punt
would have been located at, based on the information that's provided by the ancient Egyptians.
Egyptologists have long since given up on locating Punt in Arabia Felix (Yemen), or equating it
with the biblical land of Ophir and its "mines of King Solomon." In fact, there was also a land
route that brought the products of Punt to Egypt; the "mountain of Punt" and its auriferous pools
clearly lay on the borders of Kush, in the Nile Valley of Nubia. Scholars no longer feel a need to
go as far as Zanzibar or Socortra or even to Somalia in search of Punt.
The land of Punt was home to various incense-bearing trees (Boswellia and commiphera, which
thrive on low rainfall), Dom-palms, and species of hard, black trees called heben in Egyptian,
the origin of the word "ebony." Visitors to punt had encountered panthers, cheetahs, monkeys
and baboons (the latter on dry hills), as well as giraffes and rhinoceroses, animals that dwelled
in the plains. Gold also came from Punt, in the middle of summer; rain fall on the mountain of
Punt only in the miraculous form of veritable deluges. These details gleaned from texts enable
us to locate the famous shores of punt and their vast inter land. The land called punt included a
desert region and a Sahelian region between the 22nd and the 18th longitude lines parallel to
the North. The south of Punt might have included the present-day province of Kassala and the
north of Eritrea. To the west and the northwest, an indefinable border separated it from Kush
and the land of the Medjoi (roughly Etbaya).
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The Land of Punt is Eritrea (Part I)
Written by Magazine theme by StudioPress
Friday, 09 April 2010 01:14
Egyptians
stretches
logistical
This
from
casts
which
efforts
of
explorers
new
came
mountains
light
and
gold,
on
could
a
lengthy,
ebony,
and
aprobably
longstanding
get
desert.
to
incence,
costly
the
Punt
land
journey.
Egyptological
and
could
of
Punt
marvels.
Even
also
by
be
so,
land,
problem,
reached
the
though
land
by
was
they
location
sea,
both
had
but
divine
of
to
at
the
cross
the
and
land
cost
vast
familiar.
of
of
Punt,
huge
Eritrea
contexts
and
Rejecting
the
and
Levant,
occurs
its
adjacent
earlier
Eritrean
only
identification
areas
in
Eritrea,
Pistacia
of
Sudan.
along
resin
with
The
with
Somalia,
(serpico
ebony
one
kind
and
Kitchen
(dalbergia
of
White
incense
(1993)
2000).
melanoxylon)
widely
firmly
locates
used
found
in
Punt
Bronze
in
in
Pharaonic
northern
Age
Egypt
In
Eastern
for
also
an
has
nearly
‘f’
Parehu,
today
both
firmly
but
Sudan).
no
four
consonants,
become
excludes
the
‘p’.
decades
only
Thus,
Perhaps
the
Arabia."
named
Kitchen
which
most
of
writing
the
chief
widely
make
And
most
writes,
on
of
the
accepted
contrary
the
Punt,
mere
"Arabia
transcription
subject
the
reason
evidence
position
would
consonant
of
Punt,
is
is
have
that
on
reliable.
is
he
language,
p
the
Old
had
in
has
location
his
South
athe
succeeded
Farehu,
name
and
Arabian
of
and
according
Punt
chief
that
languages
(Eritrea
establishing
of
of
Funt!"
kitchen,
Punt
and
Egyptian
itself
possess
what
"As
Ethiopian
Professor
Punt,
sailing
now
The
trade
area's
the
aand
wind
significant
Eritrean
borderlands.
Pankhurst
pointed
northerly
as
the
coast,
edge
out
main
location,
explains
that
over
reasons.
the
that
and
why
proximity
constituted
Itconsequent
the
may
more
Eritrean
of
further
distant
the
the
area
relative
coast
be
most
areas,
urged
to
would
frequently
Egypt
proximity
such
that
have
and
as
the
to
the
visited
the
been
northernmost
Egypt,
Somali
limitation
the
African
would
best
country
ofsection
location
area,
have
seasonal
and
what
given
of
for
the
Punt.
isits
Time,
Egypt,
June
doubtless
direction.
area,
reach
therefore
much
to
about
further
should
Cape
sailing
August,
appear
Southbound
no
the
Guardafui
in
rapid
be
at
the
same
when
perhaps
emphasized,
doubtful
affair,
time
time
the
vessels
(in
permitted
30
by
Somalia).
whether
wind
again
November,
miles
and
probably
blew
to
to
awas
Egyptian
arrive
The
day,
southwards,
them
the
when
needed
southerly
had
at
by
essence.
commercial
the
nature.
to
the
travel
coast
about
and
winter
winds
The
had
opposite
during
a
navigators
month
winds
would
Trade
to
complete
the
began
Aden,
to
by
Winds
three
reach
then
could
to
and
dictated
their
or
be
the
blow
have
so
a
abating.
trading
northern
further
summer
in
easily
that
the
enterprise,
It
month
ships
opposite
Eritrean
months,
would
sailed
from
to
“my
For
Egyptian
the
southern
penetration
boundary
Egyptians,
of
is
Africa,
as
Punt
far
as
came
as
reported
the
to
lands
represent
on
of
an
Punt."
obelisk
the
point
from
of
the
the
reign
southernmost
of
Queen
extent
Hatshepsut
of
I turn
face
following
to
my
thee
Egyptian
face
the
inscription
to
countries
the
inscriptions
south....I
taking
of
Punt
seem
cause
from
bring
to
Solem
the
suggest
all
chiefs
the
from
pleasant
aof
the
geographic
wretched
time
sweet
of
Amenhotep
Kush
linkage
woods
to
turn
between
of
III
their
thee...when
demonstrates
countries...."
Punt
and
Iport
turn
Kush,
“When
my
as
One
neighboring
Somalia
with
Ancient
capital
Punt
of
during
the
Egyptians
and
most
Tanzania)
upon
the
other
significant
latter
Kush
and
neighboring
is
the
part
Kingdom
with
tomb
information
of
the
the
kingdoms
belonged
recent
(and
17th
one
that
Dynasty
2003
to
joined
that
makes
archeological
disproves
(about
in
aPunt
force
very
1575-1550BC))
to
strong
itfor
a
discovery
being
invade
Governor
case
and
Yemen
that
that
of
successfully
El
shows
Punt
Kab,
or
as
was
provincial
Kush,
distant
a
defeat
kingdom
along
as
the
territories
inscription
were
including
describes
affected
the
land
and
a
ferocious
describes
Punt,
on
invasion
Sobeknakht’s
the
southern
of
Egypt
heroic
coast
by
armies
of
role
in
from
Red
organizing
Sea
Kush
says
and
a
counter-attack.
that
its
allies
vast
upon
Wawat
might
Nubians,
her
flame”.
text
earth
of
.ancient
the
.or
takes
who
.Fattovich
the
Tomb
.a
great
.capital)
.Punt
were
the
land
Kush
reveals
one,
form
burnt
of
came
Punt
Nekhbet”,
of
through
Ancient
an
.III
and
.attention
address
.(2099-2061
aroused
the
the
Egypt’s
fire”,
Medjaw.
vulture-goddess
to
while
along
the
humiliating
living
the
.Sobeknakht,
his
.”
It
“chief
length,
by
describes
Sobeknakht:
secret
of
of
El
he
the
Kab,
having
the
nomads
decisive
as
“Listen
stirred
“strong
fell
role
through
you,
up
of
the
played
heart
who
tribes
the
are
against
by
blast
of
alive
“the
ofthe
Professor
Asmara,
the
even
may
possibly
argues
that
be
part
the
ancient
of
Punt
Ona
or
linked
Group-A
to
it.
sites
of
Eritrea
(located
near
until
societies
for
either
asouth,
potential
Rodolfo
possible
located
the
Fattovich
importance
connection
within
Horn.
the
Calling
drew
land
of
between
these
these
of
punt
findings
Egypt
sites
or
to
as
their
both
and
possibly
went
significance
the
mostly
land
"Ona
linked
unnoticed
Culture"
Punt,
to
Punt.
understanding
and
and
in
identifies
the
"Ona
archaeological
Group-A,"
early
the
Ona
complex
he
culture
world
argues
as
The
Earliest
History
of
Punt
Land
According
contacts
Egyptians
between
were
to
records
Pankhurst,
in
Egypt
possession
reveal
Punt
and
that
Punt
dates
as
of
myrrh,the
early
date
back
as
back
to
the
Ethiopian
the
to
First
cradle
or
Second
borderlands.
of
to
Egyptian
the
cradle
Dynasties
civilization.The
of
Egyptian
(3407-2888
civilization.
first
BC)
known
the
During
hand
pharaoh
supplies
Fifth
costly
had
a
Dynasty,
to
Tenq,
wood.
the
the
from
Sahure
Fourth
son
a
King
however,
slave,
of
of
Egyptian
Pepy
Cheops,
probably
the
from
Fifth
IIlater
(2738-2644
Punt. dynasty
the
Dynasty
first
dispatched
builder
reached
(2789-2767
dispatched
BC)
of
a
the
Egypt
of
naval
the
Great
overland.
BC),a
the
fleet,
Sixth
Pyramid.
earliest
which
Dynasty
Punt
King
slave
naval
returned
Pankhurst
Sahure
subsequently
is
expedition
mentioned
with
(2958-2946
further
myrrh,
to
had
adds
as
Punt,
gold
noted
the
BC)
that
where
helping
and
of
that
the
the
he
Pharaonic
Wadi
Eleventh
Dynasty,
waters.
Gasus,
in
Dynasty.
expeditions
north
popular
Egyptian
of
tale
Koseir,
to
Punt
of
familiarity
aof
during
mariner,
increased
the
with
a
reign
after
kind
Punt
of
of
the
also
King
early
founding
found
Mentuhotep
Sinbad
of
expression,
the
Sailor,
Egyptian
IV
(2242-2212
during
ship-wrecked
Red
the
Sea
BC)
Twelfth
of
in
Punt
of
Before
Nile
orders
Canal.
to
the
from
Red
Suez
King
Sea.
Canal
Sesostris
Ancient
was
built,
Egyptian
the
ancient
contact
BC),
Egyptians
with
almost
four
had
was
thousand
already
subsequently
built
years
a
waterway
facilitated
before
the
from
by
Suez
the
the
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