Long Lost Land of Punt Found?

After years of speculation and honest mystification, it appears the fabled 'Land of Punt' has been revealed by the hair of a baboon..

A little background information on the Land of Punt...

Ancient Egyptians made references to a far-away land of plenty. They made several expeditions to the place to trade for food, animals and objects of value. Unfortunately, they didn't leave us any directions to find the place. Over the years, people have suggested America, India, Atlantis and mysterious lost worlds. Personally, I wanted some 'Valley of the Kings' discovery to be made in Addis Abbabba or Djebouti.

To the ancient Egyptians, the land of Punt, with its reed, beehive shaped houses raised on stilts above water, was the most exotic and mysterious of places to visit, and from which to receive visitors, for more than once the Royalty of Punt came to the court of the Pharaoh in Egypt. It seems to have been considered by them a most unique haven; an emporium of goods for both king and gods, and gradually acquired an air of fantasy, like that of an Eldorado or Atlantis. For this reason, it was sometimes featured in narrative tales such as the Tale of the Shipwrecked Sailor.

The people of Punt, at first are depicted with dark-reddish complexions and fin features wearing long hair, but by the 18th Dynasty, they had apparently adopted a more close cropped hair style.

We know of trading missions sent to Punt by the Egyptians dating from at least Egypt's 5th Dynasty, while our latest definite record of a Punt expedition comes from the 20th Dynasty reign of Ramesses III

The Wonderful Land of Punt

A bearded chief and obese queen of Punt (from Hatshepsut's temple)
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The most successful and famed expedition was endeavoured by Queen Hatshepsutafter it was proposed by an Oracle. It's thanks to this adventure that the location of Punt has probably been narrowed down...

"...loading of the ships very heavily with marvels of the country of Punt; all goodly fragrant woods of God's-Land, heaps of myrrh resin, with fresh myrrh trees, with ebony and pure ivory, with green gold of Emu, with cinnamon wood, khesyt wood, with two kinds of incense, eye-cosmetics, with apes, monkeys, dogs, and with skins of the southern panther, with natives and their children. Never was brought the like of this for any king who has been since the beginning"

Link

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It's the animals they brought home that have given some ingenious scientists the opportunity to crack the case! Using techniques we tend to see in CSI, they realised they could use the animals to analyse the hairs to find out where they came from. So they needed an animal that wasn't native to Egypt and came from Punt. Where to find one of those 3000 years later?

If it breathed...they mummified its ass.

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The team had permission to use baboon hairs from two of the mummies, and have just finished analyzing hairs from these baboons by using oxygen isotope analysis. Oxygen isotopes act as a 'signal' that can let scientists know where they came from. It works this way because, depending on the environment an animal lived in, the ratio of different isotopes of oxygen will be different. “Oxygen tends to vary as a function of rainfall and the water composition of plants and seed,” said Professor Nathaniel Dominy of UC Santa Cruz, who is on the team. The researchers compared the oxygen isotope values in the ancient baboons to those found in their modern day brethren. “All of our specimens in Eritrea and a certain number of our specimens from Ethiopia – that are basically due west from Eritrea – those are good matches,” said Professor Dominy.

“We think Punt is a sort of circumscribed region that includes eastern Ethiopia and all of Eritrea.”

Baboon Mummy Tests Reveal Ethiopia and Eritrea as Ancient Egyptians' 'Land of Punt'

Eritrea as Punt?

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The Archaeology of Ancient Eritrea

Archaelogical sites in Eritrea

Kiwifoot's thread: Wonderful Land of Punt

Good work! And a very good presentation.

I think the initial idea that Punt was somewhere near the Horn of Africa can be considered "backed" by some evidence. This corresponds with the reports about part of the journey, from Egypt to Punt, was done by land (I think there was a reports from some Egyptian archive that said one expedition there was done solely on foot?) AND the reports about the animals transported as gifts to the Pharaoh match the fauna of the area.

reply to post by Maegnas
Thanks for the reply Maegnas...I've a knack for writing threads that don't lend themselves to discussion. I'm guessing they'll *possibly* focus on Asmara as the centre of Eritrea. It's accessible through the Nile. Addis Ababa was where I expected Punt to be located...wrong again!

P.S. Thanks to anyone who've read/starred/flagged the thread. Kiwifoot's thread (linked at the foot of the OP) has more details about Punt.

Pretty cool! The one thing i find interesting about the placement that they think that Punt could be is the area where many anthropologist think that some of the first humans migrated out of Africa.

Instead of our ancient ancestors going up Africa, traveling 100's of mile through the dessert to reach Egypt, some think that they crossed into Yemen because you could travel the coast of Yemen and have animals to eat and water to drink. From there they could have gone north to get into the middle east and Europe or go East into India, the far east and the americas through the land bridge of alaska. COOL S+F!

Love these new findings!
Hope they will find some other cool remains from Punt.

reply to post by Kandinsky


Excellent story.

Very interesting how things are suddenly being "found" after years and years of being "missing".

Punt now, and recently Yam. What's next? Solomons Mines?

Ciao

Shane

reply to post by Kandinsky



Hey buddy, nice one! What an awesome way of determining the location of Punt. I had always thought that this area was the spot. There were quite a few posters plugging for India, but I think we came to the general consensus it was too far and too dangerous by sea. (lets hope those posters plugging Southern India turn up and we an have a good ol' debate!)

I found Punt, the idea of it, the story behind it quite exciting, plus it has a bit of an 'Indiana Jones' feel (being lost and all) about it which is always greeeat!

There wasn't a great deal of info when I did my thread (thanks for the plug by the way, I owe ya!), I guess that's indicative of 'lost' civilisations. I would have thought that finding it would have been top of Archaeologist's list but I suppose that region is just too dangerous.

S+F buddy, this is quite a find!

I don't know if you all got the message!!!

The mythical land of PUNT has been identified!!!!

C'mon folk, that's BIG NEWS!

Star and a flag for an excellent post.
Thanks for some great info.
Are there more of these types of searches going on for unknown lands recordedby the ancients. How could someone get involved in a quest such as this one Kandi.
Are any efforts underway to find the actual site? I have always wanted to
be involved in a dig. I'd be the happiest camper on any dig.

Very interesting how things are suddenly being "found" after years and years of being "missing".

I've heard this more than once coming from several different sources
of prophecy. That this would also be a,"Sign of the times ".
Many things would start revealing themselves or would be revealed.
As a point of interest.

[edit on 25-4-2010 by randyvs]

reply to post by BeastMaster2012


You are probably referring to the theory presented in the BBC documentary series "The Incredible Human Journey", which discusses just this, the routes taken and the means employed (plus some dating attempts) of the expansion of Homo Sapiens Sapiens (that's us!) out of Africa. Look for torrents of it, it is a good watch (some parts of some episodes are a bit "dull" discussing debunked theories on and on but all in all, an interesting presentation - plus that anthropologist presenting it is an eye candy, for a PhD ).

Kandinsky,

One cannot be right all the time or wrong all the time
This is an interesting topic, opened by Kiwi and, by the looks of it, "closed" by what you brought to our attention. It is threads like these that promote the high standard all threads should follow.

reply to post by BeastMaster2012


the Sahara may have been easier to cross back then.

According to archeologists, the Sahara was much more densely populated more than twenty thousand years ago when the desert's climate was not as arid as it is today. Fossils, rock art, stone artifacts, bone harpoons, shells, and many other items have been found in areas which today are considered too hot and dry to inhabit. The artifacts were located near remains of giraffe, elephant, buffalo, antelopes, rhinoceros, and warthog, as well as those of fish, crocodiles, hippopotamuses, and other aquatic animals, indicating the presence of lakes and swamps in the Sahara.

Link

Wet Sahara

Sahara Pump Theory

Originally posted by Maegnas
reply to post by BeastMaster2012

 

You are probably referring to the theory presented in the BBC documentary series "The Incredible Human Journey", which discusses just this, the routes taken and the means employed (plus some dating attempts) of the expansion of Homo Sapiens Sapiens (that's us!) out of Africa. Look for torrents of it, it is a good watch (some parts of some episodes are a bit "dull" discussing debunked theories on and on but all in all, an interesting presentation - plus that anthropologist presenting it is an eye candy, for a PhD

).

Kandinsky,

One cannot be right all the time or wrong all the time

This is an interesting topic, opened by Kiwi and, by the looks of it, "closed" by what you brought to our attention. It is threads like these that promote the high standard all threads should follow.

Yes, that is what i was thinking! That was a fascinating series, my favorite was the America part, it really makes you wonder how we first came to america.

As for the poster above, i realize that it was probably a better climate when they probably left but we have no idea when they left and it could have receded back to the current condition but i agree with you, the climate was probably much nicer.

Once again, i just find it interesting that the land of Punt could be in that spot because that is a very fun place to look at on a map.

There are many ways you can look at it. I see that area as the "Gate to the east". If you were to be traveling from China or India, let's say, and you wanted to go to Egypt, Greece or Israel. The fastest way is by sailing and entering into the Red Sea. From Djibouti to the other side, Yemen, is only 11 miles. The straight of Gibraltar is only 9 miles wide, so they are very similar. But i think people made this trip, it seams too obvious to me and sailing up the Red Sea is the fastests way. Once you get to the end of the Red Sea you simply jump in a camel taxi and head up north!

The article mentions

beehive shaped houses raised on stilts above water

. I wonder if it possible that the Marsh Arabs that live on Lake Hammar are the descendants from the land of Punt.


[edit on 26-4-2010 by Phlegmi]

Originally posted by Phlegmi
The article mentions

beehive shaped houses raised on stilts above water

. I wonder if it possible be the Marsh Arabs that live on Lake Hammar .

I think it has to be in Africa because of the Baboons and the Giraffes. I know for a fact Giraffes are only found in Africa and that baboon is probably from Africa too. It is a good theory though.

Also for some reason i think they said it was to the South, but what if the south meant north for them since the upper kingdom was below the lower kingdom? But again, i'm pretty sure it's somewhere in Africa because of the Giraffes but who knows.

Originally posted by Kandinsky
Thanks for the reply Maegnas...I've a knack for writing threads that don't lend themselves to discussion.

I feel you there, brother.

A couple years back I started a thread about how they had finally nailed down the date of the eruption of Thera - a date which was different than what had been postulated and has caused a small re-adjustment of ancient timelines around the Mediterreanean.

Hardly anyone read it, even though the discovery had a major impact on views of ancient history.

Anyway, I hope you don't expect this finding to bring an end to people posting that Australia is Punt. Cause that ain't gonna happen dude.

Nice work, though.

Harte

Nice presentation Kandinsky! Great find too! As Kiwifoot said, what an awesome way to determine the location of Punt. I'll admit, I don't know much about Punt, but now I shall go learn.

S&F

Gee, I thought the Aggies would know all there is to know about the punt!

Harte

reply to post by Kandinsky


Dang, you beat me to it. I was going to do a thread about this haha

Well done by the way. It's nice to know that Punt has finally been confirmed to reside in Ethiopia/Eritrea.

S&F

Originally posted by IEtherianSoul9
reply to post by Kandinsky

 

Dang, you beat me to it. I was going to do a thread about this haha

Well done by the way. It's nice to know that Punt has finally been confirmed to reside in Ethiopia/Eritrea.

S&F

Ah but to put the finish spike into the story we need to find the port/location(s) where the AE went to trade in the land of Punt

reply to post by Shane


Solomon's Mines may just have been in Michigan. No, really. In that state are some ancient copper mines, artifacts of middle-eastern design, and copper depots on down the Mississippi valley.