Location Of Punt Most Likely East Ethiopia/Eritrea According To New Evidences Found

[Cowke]

Egyptian baboon mummy in the British Museum

 

Baboon mummy analysis reveals Eritrea and Ethiopia as location of land of Punt

 

By Owen Jarus

 

Analysis of mummified baboons in the British Museum has revealed the location of the land of Punt as the area between Ethiopia and Eritrea. To the Egyptians, Punt was a place of fragrances, giraffes, electrum and other exotic goods, and was sometimes referred to as Ta-netjer, or 'God’s land'.

 

 

There are several ancient Egyptian texts that record trade voyages to the Land of Punt, dating up until the end of the New Kingdom, 3,000 years ago. But until now scholars did not know where Punt was. Ancient texts offer only vague allusions to its location and no 'Puntite' civilization has been discovered. Somalia, Ethiopia, Yemen and even Mozambique have all been offered as possible locations.

 

However, it appears that the search for Punt may have come to an end according to new research which claims to prove that it was located in Eritrea/East Ethiopia. Live baboons were among the goods that we know the Egyptians got from Punt. The research team included Professor Salima Ikram from the Egyptian Museum, Cairo, and Professor Nathaniel Dominy and graduate student Gillian Leigh Moritz, both from the University of California, Santa Cruz.

 

The team studied two baboon mummies in the British Museum. By analysing hairs from these baboons using oxygen isotope analysis, they were able to work out where they originated. Oxygen isotopes act as a 'signal' that can let scientists know where they came from. 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.

 

Only one of the two baboons was suitable for the research – the other had spent time in Thebes as an exotic pet, and so its isotopic data had been distorted. Working on the baboon discovered in the Valley of the Kings, the researchers compared the oxygen isotope values in the ancient baboons to those found in their modern day brethren. Although isotope values in baboons in Somalia, Yemen and Mozambique did not match, those in Eritrea and Eastern Ethiopia were closely matched.

 

“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.

 

The team were unable to compare the mummies with baboons in Yemen. However, Professor Dominy reasoned that “We can tell, based on the isotopic maps of the region, that a baboon from Yemen would look an awful lot like a baboon from Somalia isotopically.” As Somalia is definitely not the place of origin for the baboon, this suggests that Yemen is not the place of origin either.

 

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

 

The team also think that they may have discovered the location of the harbour that the Egyptians would have used to export the baboons and other goods back to Egypt. Dominy points to an area just outside the modern city of Massawa: “We have a specimen from that same harbour and that specimen is a very good match to the mummy.”

 

Next, the team hopes to get the British Museum’s permission to take a pea-sized sample of bone from the baboon mummy and use it strontium isotope testing. This would hopefully confirm Eritrea/Eastern Ethiopia as the baboon’s origin and narrow down its location more specifically.

[Polanyi]

Puntland better change the name.

 

ps. Ancient SOmalis known as Berbers.

[Cowke]

Karl, we will wait till the anthropologist finish their studies, but yes it doesn't look good considering they tested the mummified egyptian baboon in the british museum which they used to buy from the land of punt. These tests have compared it to baboons in somalia and there was no match at all.

 

However lets not forget, punt could possibly be a place of a wider geographical zone. They might have bought the baboons from eritrea and maybe incense from bossaso. We will have to wait till the study concludes its findings!!!

[Polanyi]

Yes,ancient Somaloids traded with Persians, Romans and many other civilizations. So I have no doubt that Ancient Egyptians traded with ancient Somaloids. As for the Land of punt, I think this research is looking conclusive.

 

ASWRB.

[Cowke]

Karl, yeah this study seems like it is about to put the nail in the coffin on north-east somalia as being the location of punt!!!

[Ismahaan]

Though I am not an Anthropologist I am very much interested on the subject. Well in my opinion, Ethiopia cannot be the land of punt (punt could be reached only by sea). I think the researchers are getting way ahead of themselves (double-blind research). The Baboons for instance, found in Ethiopia, Eritrea, Yemen, and Somalia are all close to each other and tend to have similar oxygen Isotope. Maybe the researchers do mean ****** region by "eastern Ethiopia", but I would think that they would at least try to compare the baboons with the ones from the nation Somalia.There's not enough or sufficient evidence to support this conclusion.

 

The Punt 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. source

 

 

The Somali coast was once famous as an incense country

 

 

 

There are lots of similarities between the Somali language and the language of ancient Egypt. Here are some instances of similar words:

Ra/Ra (The sun)

 

Neter/Neder (divine being)

 

Hipo/Hibo (the sound b doe not exist in Hamitic languages - gift)

 

Heru/Huur (a stork)

 

Tuf/Tuf (spit)

 

Habi (the Nile)/Wabi ( a river)

 

Ar/Ar ( a lion)

 

cb/kab (shoe)

 

brq/biriq (lightning)

 

ayah/dayah (moon)

 

dab/dab (fire)

 

anka/aniga (I)

 

su, asu/usi (he)

 

Ka/Ka,Kaah (spirit)

 

medu/muud (liquid)

 

 

Somali hamadryas baboon.

 

 

Ethiopian hamadryas baboon.

[General Duke]

Prsent day Puntland is located in North East Somalia, with Garowe as its capital. Thats a fact, and it will not change its name, regardless of what anyone says.

[Libaax-Sankataabte]

Originally posted by Cowke:

Karl, we will wait till the anthropologist finish their studies, but yes

it doesn't look good

 

lool@"it doesn't look good".

[who-me]

War ragu maydi iyo xinji ma u baxdaa? sheekadan nama martee.

[Raamsade]

Informed people already knew that N. East Somalia isn't the actual location of historical Land of Punt. North East Somalis can take solace in the fact that, at least, they're not former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYRM). No other country is also claiming the name Punt as theirs.

[Saalax]

There is some evidences of the greeks refering to current northern eastern somalia as the land of punt there is also other evidences that suggest the land of Punt was actually located in modern day Eritrea.

[General Duke]

Sorry, Cowke we trademarked that name. Just like the Gold coast took the name Ghana. It's a dine deal, nice try though.

[Jacaylbaro]

iskaga biira Ethiopia markaa dee cowkoow ,,,,

[Polanyi]

Originally posted by Raamsade:

Informed people already knew that N. East Somalia isn't the actual location of historical Land of Punt.

lol@informed people. The exact location of the land of Punt was relatively unknown and it was thought to be anywhere between Eritrea all the way to modern day Kenya, that is, until this piece of research. Of course, Raamsade, being the "informed" man he is, may have already been analysing Baboons from the HornAfrique in his bedroom.

 

ps. Duke, why get so defensive about Bananaland?

[General Duke]

ps. Duke, why get so defensive about Bananaland?

Bananaland, who are theey? exactly.