| Punt (region) |
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Information AboutPunt (region) |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT LAND OF PUNT | |
| geography of ancient egypt | |
| african civilizations | |
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The Land of Punt, which the Ancient Egypt ians called "Ta Netjeru", meaning "Land of the Gods", was a fabled and exotic site in eastern Africa , which carried on extensive trade with Ancient Egypt , China and Arabia . It was also the land to which the ancient Egyptians traced their origin. HISTORY The oldest known expedition to Punt was organized by Pharaoh Sahure of the Fifth Dynasty (25th century BC). Around 1950 BC , in the reign of Mentuhotep III , an officer named Hennu made one or more voyages to Punt. A very famous expedition was conducted by Nehsi for Queen Hatshepsut in the 15th Century BC to obtain Myrrh ; a report of that voyage survives on a Relief in Hatshepsut's funerary Temple at Deir El-Bahri . Several of her successors, including Thutmoses III , also organized expeditions to Punt. PUNT'S LOCATION The precise location of the land of Punt has been a subject of debate. Ancient Egyptian texts are consistent about connecting the location of Punt with the Red Sea , narrowing the possibilities for Punt's geographic location. These records indicate Punt's location to be found south of Nubia , but exactly what modern territory it corresponds to is disputed. Historians generally agree on Eastern Africa , possibly near what is now the coast of Sudan or Eritrea (as is suggested by archaeological evidence). Some argue Punt was as far away as Sanaag Region Of Somalia . There are also archeological findings(Some written epigraphs) about Land of Punt in this region. In his translation of the '' Periplus Of The Erythraean Sea '', G.W.B. Huntingford went so far as to claim that the name "Punt" lay behind the name of " Opone ," a coastal marketplace located south of Cape Guardafui , and identified both Punt and Opone with Hafun . In the late 1990 s part of Somalia declared itself the independent republic of Puntland . It was once thought that the Frankincense and other goods the ancient Egyptians boasted of obtaining in Punt suggest a location on the southern coasts of the Arabian Peninsula , but the presence of African animals rules this notion out, as well as the realisation that Incense -producing trees also occur in Africa. In the past, places still farther afield have been mentioned, Bahrain and India but currently these candidates have largely been dropped in favor of ones located near by in Africa. REFERENCES
OLDER LITERATURE
SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS
News reports on Wadi Gewasis excavations
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