Land of the Gods

It is said that every myth is born out of some form of truth. From the mighty pantheon of the Greek and Roman Gods, to the technologically advanced city of Atlantis that vanished under the sea. Every continent has had dynasties and empires whose culture and religions have influenced modern day life. Egypt is no different from these civilizations, deeply rooted in history of expansion throughout ancient Africa, they’ve solidified their place among the great empires of the world. But, what if I told you that Egypt was not the only power in ancient Africa. What if there was a country just as, if not more powerful than the Pharaohs of the desert. A place full of rare goods and natural resources. People often wonder, “what if the Nation of Wakanda was real?” How would the world react to such a power hiding in plain sight? A nation of people so secretive that there is only but one source recording their existence. The mystery behind the Land of Punt is centuries if not a millennium old question. Where is it located? Who are these brilliant people so advanced that even the ancient Egyptians feared them? Was this place even real or is this fiction?

Ancient Egypt was a nation of great strength and influence, but what it lacked was natural resources. The desert is a harsh place to cultivate anything. Extreme heat or cold could easily kill off any crop if left to the elements. Egypt often traded goods with other tribes around their territory, but one stood above all others for the valuable goods they had. Exotic spices, wild animals, myrrh, and incense for temple rituals were rare items the Land of Punt provided to Egypt. The “Age of the Pyramid Builders,” around 2500 B.C.E., the first document depicting trade with Punt was written during the reign of King Sahure (2487-2475 B.C.E.). The Palermo stone describes the first five dynasties of Egypt, naming each ruler; listing great accomplishments from each year of their reign. Scribes state that King Sahure’s trade with Punt resulted in 20,000 staves of wood for cities, ships, and tools. Continuing with 6,000 measures of gold, 8,000 measures of myrrh, and exotic aromatic spices. With wood being such a rare good for Egypt, King Sahure found great value in allying himself with Punt. Creating a respect and bond between the two nations that would last centuries to come. 

Trade continued throughout the middle kingdom period. A party of 3,000+ men would travel back and forth to the Land of Punt trading goods and learning from the locals of the mysterious nation. Bringing back not only necessary resources, but ways to innovate Egyptian cities, art, and ways of life. During the new kingdom period, after Pharaoh Hatshepsut’s twenty year reign, in her tomb a relief of her greatest accomplishments sits. The painting depicts her trade with Punt and what the mysterious nation may have looked like. Although there is no record of the rulers of Punt throughout the centuries, Hatshepsut had the names of the rulers of that time etched in her relief. King Parahu and his Queen Ati are the only recorded rulers ever named from the land. 

Statue of Hatshepsut on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Ramses the third was the last Pharaoh of Egypt to document his trade with Punt. During the 1200 B.C.E period tension with Nubia was rising and the once friendly neighbors to Egypt now restricted passage through the Nile river. Forcing Egyptians to dismantle their ships, carry them a hundred miles across the desert, and reassemble them once they near the Red Sea. On the way back from Punt, Egyptians would use donkeys to quickly carry goods like ebony and obsidian back to Egypt. Archaeologists have discovered evidence of lost ebony and obsidian in Saww, Africa with crates reading “Wonders of Punt” in hieroglyphs on them. Providing evidence of where the Land of Punt may have been located. 

A study of ancient Egypt was created to protect the tombs from raiders in the 1850’s. Allowing outside researchers to come and professionally examine old ruins. Although there are no maps or instructions on how to travel to the Land of Punt, archaeologists have discovered based on records of where certain exotic animals and material goods originate from. During 1853, German Egyptologist, Heinrich Karl Brugsch traveled to Egypt for the first time. Meeting French Egyptologist Auguste Mariette. The two men worked closely together during their dig in the desert. Brugsch created a theory that the Land of Punt must reside in the Arabian Peninsula due to trade resources. Whereas Mariette’s theory was that Punt was south of Egypt based on hieroglyphic readings. The two men often argued their points never coming to a conclusion on the lost empire. 

Based on Auguste Mariette’s theory that Somalia was originally the Land of Punt, there was a vote in 1998 that the country would change “The Horn of Africa” semi-autonomous region of the land to “Puntland.” But, theory alone is not enough evidence to solidify Somalia as the birthplace of the Land of Punt.  Mariette was adamant about Punt being south of Egypt, and although Somalia was not the definite location, other areas including Sudan, Ethiopia, Sri Lanka…etc were still viable options. So, the search for the Land of Punt continued. 

Pre-Axumite monolithic columns in Qohaito

For Heinrich Karl Brugsch, the Arabian Peninsula was the answer. Due to trade resources like ebony, myrrh, obsidian, and gold, Brugsch believed that the location of Punt lay across the Red Sea. Supporting evidence to this theory dates back to the reign of Ramses the third stating that the trading party gathered by the Red Sea to sail to Punt after crossing the desert to avoid conflict with Nubia. And as researchers have looked more into this theory they have discovered materials like obsidian and ebony lost in the sand over time. With more evidence appearing to support Brugsch it had seemed that the answer to this thousand year old question had been answered. Until Rolf Herzog, German Anthropologist back in the 1960’s declared that Punt was south of Egypt along the upper Nile river based on plant and wildlife depicted in paintings like Hatsheput’s relief. Reviving the mystery of where exactly the supposed mystery nation was. 

Scholars began to question did this place even really exist? Or was it another mythical place along with the abundance of gods and goddesses the ancient Egyptians worshipped. Could all of this research been for nothing? In the 1970’s British Egyptologist and Linguistics expert Kenneth Kitchen used his skills to decipher that Punt could not have been in the Arabian Peninsula due to the fact that ancient languages there did not have a hard “p” sound in their alphabet and would not have a country or king’s name begin with the letter. A paper by Dmitri Meeks published in 2003 explained how Punt could have been in Yemen, south of Egypt and yet on the coast of Africa. Supporting evidence found by Stanley Balanda retranslated ancient text from Hatshepsut’s relief, stating Egypt made camp on both sides of the Red Sea in Yemen and Bab el Mandeb current day Djibouti. Meeks theory is said to make the most sense supporting the location of Punt. But, Archaeologists have still yet to find hard evidence proving Dmitri Meeks right in his belief. Scholars still debate on the true home of the Mysterious Land of Punt, if it was ever real to begin with.

Egyptians often sang praises of Punt. Just like how gospel singers sing of “Heaven,” priestess would sing of Punt. Legend says that the Egyptian Goddess Hathor, “Mother of the Gods” originated from the Land of Punt, deeming it the name “Land of the Gods.” Was Punt the birthplace of Egyptian culture? The people of Punt are depicted as being a peaceful nation, prosperous, and rich in resources. Punt men had long hair with little facial hair inspiring Egyptian style. Living on stilted round houses to protect them from flooding, they are described as an advanced civilization. Surrounded by Palm and Myrrh trees; exotic animals like panthers, leopards, giraffes, hippopotami, and the sacred baboon. Egyptians would often lay mummified baboons in the tombs of Pharaohs to grant safe passage into the afterlife. If Punt did associate with any other countries besides Egypt, they may have been called by a different name. Or those countries' records were lost to history. Whether Egypt tried hard to stay allies with Punt due to the extreme aid they provided or the nation was too far for a whole army to travel. When it came to military power Punt might have been more formidable than Egyptians would have liked to admit. But the records show that Egypt never went to war with the Land of Punt.

Could this mysterious “Land of the Gods” been the only thing that stopped Egypt from conquering all of Africa before the Romans came? Maybe so, if legends hold true the Egyptians might have feared angering their gods if they attacked their home land. Or maybe it was a strategic move to keep trade between the two nations peaceful. Although the lack of evidence brings questions to if this advanced empire was real or fiction, scholars continue the search for the “Land of the Gods,” and what secrets it may behold to us.