Ismahaan Posted January 9, 2008 Spectacular history: Review The Land of Punt, also called "Pwenet" by the ancient Egyptians, at times synonymous with Ta netjer, the 'land of the god' was a fabled site in eastern Africa and "was the source of many exotic products, such as gold, aromatic resins, African blackwood, ebony, ivory, slaves and wild animals" The most famous ancient Egyption expedition to Punt was conducted during the reign of Queen Hatshepsut in the 15th century BC to obtain myrrh. Geographic location of Punt The exact location of Punt was lost with time, yet we have been left with some clues as to its whereabouts, as well as intriguing stories from contact with the ancient Egyptians. Punt was long thought to have been in South Arabia, but when the Punt reliefs from Hatshetsup's temple (c. 1470 B.C.E.) were found showing African flora and fauna, the location was then thought to be in present-day Somalia. Most modern sources give Somalia as the probable location, but a lot of evidence still points to other regions (eg Ethiopia, eriteria or southeastern Beja lands of Sudan). Some argue that Punt was as far away as Puntland, a region of Somalia that adopted this name in the 20th century. Frankincense and myrrh, which were imported by the Egyptians from Punt, are still found in abundance 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. Similar history "Origins in Elam and Punt. The distinctive character of the 1st dynasty, which separates it from all that went before, is the conquest and union of the whole land of Egypt. It became thus subject to the falcon-bearing tribe of Horus, which was the natural enemy of the Aunu, the Set-bearing tribe. This falcon tribe had certainly originated in Elam, as indicated by the hero and lions on the "Araq knife handle". They went down the Persian Gulf and settled in the "horn of Africa." There they named the "Land of Punt," sacred to later Egyptians as the source of the race. The Pun people founded the island fortress of Ha-fun, which commands the whole of that coast, and hence came the Punic or Phoenic peoples of classical history. Those who went up the Red Sea formed the dynastic invaders of Egypt, entering by the Qocier-Koptos road. Others went on to Syria and founded Tyre, Sidon and Aradus, named after their home islands in the Persian Gulf (Strabo, XVI, iii, 4). There is still some debate regarding the precise location of the mythical land of Punt: but is was certainly in Africa, and probably was the Somali coast’’(4). According to the Ancient Egyptians, the second Egyptian ruling ethnic/class's ancestral homeland was Punt (Somalia). They referred to this land as "Ta Nteru" ('Land of the gods'). To emphasize their Puntite origins, the Egyptians portrayed the Puntites in the exact same manner in which they portrayed themselves. This new ruling ethnic/class called themselves "Mesnitu"('Metalworkers/blacksmiths'), and was also referred to as "Shemsu Hor" ('Followers of Horus'). These Mesnitu had overthrown the original ruling ethnic/class, the Anu (those belonging to Osiris's ethnic group; and yes, Osiris was a real life personage), who had previously established its domination over all of Egypt through military conquest and political unification. Their place of origin was "Ta Seti" ('Land of the Bow') in the Sudan. Gradually tradition would identify both Somalia and the Sudan as "Ta Khent" ('Land of the Beginning' or 'Ancestral land'). The answers to the questions "Where did the Ancient Egyptians come from?" or "What race were the Ancient Egyptians?" have already been given centuries ago, by the Ancient Egyptians themselves. It isn't a surprise, however, that such relevant information on Ancient Egypt by the Ancient Egyptians themselves, is never mentioned in contemporary books about Ancient Egypt (1). Queen Hatshepsut ruled Egypt from ca. 1503 to 1480 B.C. In contrast to the warlike temper of her dynasty, she devoted herself to administration and the encouragement of commerce. In the summer of 1493 B.C., she sent a fleet of five ships with thirty rowers each from Kosseir, on the Red Sea, to the Land of Punt, near present-day Somalia. It was primarily a trading expedition, for Punt, or God's Land, produced myrrh, frankincense, and fragrant ointments that the Egyptians used for religious purposes and cosmetics (3). LOCATED IN THE HORN OF AFRICA, adjacent to the Arabian Peninsula, Somalia is steeped in thousands of years of history. The ancient Egyptians spoke of it as "God’s Land" (the Land of Punt). Chinese merchants frequented the Somali coast in the tenth and fourteenth centuries and, according to tradition, returned home with giraffes, leopards, and tortoises to add color and variety to the imperial menagerie. Greek merchant ships and medieval Arab dhows plied the Somali coast; for them it formed the eastern fringe of Bilad as Sudan, "the Land of the Blacks." More specifically, medieval Arabs referred to the Somalis, along with related peoples, as the Berberi (5) Punt colonnade The Punt colonnade is on the left hand side of the ramp to the third level. Hathsepsut´s expedition to Punt was obviously a great success and so she included a series of depictions of the trip to commemorate it. The relief’s show the expedition leaving Egypt in two boats and arriving in the exotic land of Punt. A small force establishes a camp to protect the traders, but the people of Punt welcome them in friendship and so no fighting is necessary. The chief and his wife greet the Egyptians sying ... "How have you arrived at this land unknown to the men of Egypt? Have you come down from the roads of the Heavens? Or have you navigated the sea of Ta-nuter? You must have followed the path of the sun. As for the King of Egypt, there is no road which is inaccessible to His Majesty; we live by the breath he grants to us." (6). The Chief of Punt (named Parahu) and his wife (who is depicted as being extremely obese) are introduced to an Egyptian officer and then they visit their village in which the houses seem to sit on stilts. The Egyptians hold a feast for the people of Punt, who in turn given them incense, gold and precious gems. The Egyptians then return to their boats carrying all kinds of exotic and precious items described in the accompanying text as; "all goodly fragrant woods, heaps of myrrh-resin, with fresh myrrh trees, with ebony and pure ivory, green gold of Amu, cinnamon-wood, khesyt-wood, ahmut-incense, senter-incense, eye makeup, apes, monkeys, dogs, skins of the southern panther, and with natives and their children" (6). 1458/1470...Joint queen Regnant itey the corpulent of punt (somalia).Sometimes in the 15th century she ruled the kingdom of punt together with king Parachute state was placed in the northeastern corner of the country, and today it forms part of self-proclaimed republic of puntoland (8). Have You ever heard of Hantile?? I guess you know especially If You Belong to Dr......d (hart…i). ‘’ Married to king Hantile. The Queens, Tawannas, are believed to have been a kind of co-regents to their husbands and they possessed considerable influence. The dates of this period are not accurate’’ (8, 9,). Conclusion: Somalia was known to the ancient Egyptian as the land of punt. They valued its trees which produced the aromatic gum resins frankincense and myrrh. Punt is also mentioned in the Bible, and ancient Romans called it Cape Aromatica. Somalia is named for the legendary father of the Somali people, Samaal (or Samale). The fame of the ancient Somalians (ancient of Cushities) is widespread in ancient history. They are described as the tallest, most powerful, most beautiful of human race. Therefore there seems to be no other conclusion to be drawn than that remote period of history, the leading race of Africa was somalis, Ethiopia and Egypt. These countries had a lot in common. Laakiin still somalia badan waxaay ku doodaan Arab or oromo baan nahay. Honest how is this possible? Somalia has never been an Arabic country and until recent change in the name, it was known as the land of punt thousand of years. Somalian people have very strong ties to their history, culture and language, which are distinctively somalian or Somaal; most of them do not speak or even want to speak Arabic. In my opinion apart of islam we have nothing in common with the Arabs what so ever. But what do you think? Do you think that we belong to Arabs? Also Parahu was ethiopian marka see ku dhici kartaa in uu boqor noo ahaa /? Twisted history iga dheh. I think the king was hantile but instead they twisted the history, and said parahu Sources: 1) http://www.geocities.com/wally_mo/punt.html 3. http://www-ocean.tamu.edu/Quarterdeck/QD3.1/Elsayed/elsayed-hatshepsut.html 4. Petrie, W.M. Flinders. The Making of Egypt, London. New York, Sheldon Press; Macmillan, 1939: page 77 5. http://www.countryreports.org/country.aspx?countryid=221&countryName=Somalia 6.http://www.ancientegyptonline.co.uk/hatshepsutmorttemple.html 7. http://wysinger.homestead.com/punt.html 8.http://www.guide2womenleaders.com/womeninpower/Womeninpower000.htm 9.http://www.guide2womenleaders.com/turkey_heads.htm Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
