The Ancient Land of Punt


The Ancient Land of Punt

This article will be looking at the mystery surrounding the ancient land of Punt – a peaceful and prosperous land that archaeologists are unable to locate…

The Land of Punt

Egyptian history has always been able to be documented through the various ‘diaries’ they left behind them. There are numerous ancient paintings and examples of writing that cover many aspects of their existence.

Whenever there was a new ruler, a huge war or a development in religion it was documented. They even went as far as documenting all aspects of their successful business and trade.

Among all the information archaeologists have discovered lies the description of a very special land. The trade and general service this land offered was second to none in Egyptian times and it was well known for being a peaceful territory.

Only one problem though…there were no records as to exactly where this land existed at the time!


The main problem with locating this successful land is that it seems to have been strictly kept within Egyptian civilization. Normally other civilizations would have some sort of record of foreign lands but Punt seems to have slipped by unnoticed.

Could it be that Punt was a closely guarded Egyptian secret that only dealt among it’s own people?

Could it be that the other ‘big’ civilizations at the time referred to it by a different name?

The way Punt is described makes one wonder why it remained it’s own territory for so long. The Egyptians were close to the land and did a lot of trade with them – why didn’t they just invade and take all the riches for themselves?

Egyptian ship being loaded by the people of Punt

A temple built for the female Pharaoh Hatshepsut seems to display the most information on the forgotten land of Punt. She ruled for over two decades circa 1465 BCE and her temple walls show many aspects of Egyptian history.

One of the huge diagrams shows a trading mission to Punt and explains that King Parahu and Queen Ati ruled there at the time.

Clues in The Art

A lot more Egyptian art supplies us with clues as to what Punt was really about. A lot of this art seems to highlight the fact that the men in Punt were very different from your more typical Egyptian males.

They wore their hair extremely long and had no facial hair whatsoever. They also lived in circular homes that were suspended upon tripod-like legs.

Many of the paintings also show the types of animals that inhabited the territory of Punt. Many of these animals are known to have lived by the Red Sea on the Arabian peninsula.

But the types of goods that Punt traded with seem to indicate that they were not from the Red Sea area. Many experts now believe that these goods would of originated from somewhere south of Africa.

Since it’s discovery in historical evidence archaeologists have had no luck whatsoever in uncovering anything to do with Punt – they are still no closer to the truth of where it once lay.


Some Egyptian experts now believe that Punt could have been looked upon as an Egyptian utopia – is this is why they never dared invade it?

There are also the experts that believe the Egyptians actually originated from the land of Punt and this is why the link between the two territories was so strong.

If you have any thoughts or opinions on the ancient land of Punt please leave them in the comment section below.

7 comments on “The Ancient Land of Punt

    1. Hi Tama,
      Thanks for pitching in and supplying us with this information but do you have any sort of backing for this statement? Why do you believe Punt is located near LA VENTA DEL CARAJO?
      We would love to know 🙂

  1. Recently a discovery of Egyptian artifacts and heiroglyphics, (please excuse my spelling), have been discovered in Australia.
    The Aborigines say that the Egyptians visited them because their religious beliefs were both based on the Sun.
    I have no idea whether there is any truth in either of these statements, but the contact, if true, appeared to be one of peaceful mutual respect and friendship.
    Could this be the Lost Land of Punt that is being discussed?

    1. That’s a really good point Barry (and don’t worry about your spelling – I’m no Shakespeare myself!). Their beliefs were certainly linked to the sun – when were these artifacts dated to?

  2. Believe me the land of punt is the same as the land of tarshish and ophir. Which the land of havilah and where the queen of Sheba came from. It’s the modern day Philippines.

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