The Mystery of the Land of Punt Unravelled – book review

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The Mystery of the Land of Punt Unravelled is a fascinating book written by Ahmed Ibrahim Awale. He is a Somali scholar who led archaeological excavations in 2013 in Gol Waraabe, a valley in the northern Somali territories, where he and his team unearthed the first actual artifacts belonging to the ancient Land of Punt. Based on these finds and their close similarity with artifacts from ancient Egypt, Ibrahim hypothesizes that the ancient Egyptian culture (predynastic and dynastic alike) may have evolved from Puntite prototypes.

The first edition of the book appears to be out-of-stock in many online retailers. However, a new second edition is now available for roughly the same price (a little over $10 USD). It contains more than 40 additional pages worth of new material.

The author begins by giving a brief but informative summary of the various scholarly theories on where the ancient Land of Punt was located. What’s great is that he takes into account the recent isotopic work in Eritrea as well. He then presents his hypothesis that the kingdom was situated in the Horn region, with its center in the Somali territories in particular. The rest of the book is devoted to proving that theory through both his own archaeological excavations and by pointing out similarities in culture, physiognomy, language, mythology and rock art.

Below are some of the excavated Puntite artifacts. Notice the commonalities between the Puntite statuette in the book’s Figure 6 and the ancient Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamun’s coffin in Figure 7. They include a similar headdress, oval face shape and narrow facial features, Puntite beard (Osirid beard), cobra and vulture headdress emblems, and crook and flail across the chest symbolism:

Punttitetut_zpsr7uazy2f.jpg


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Another Puntite statuette wearing the royal headdress with the cobra and vulture emblems, and possessing the standard oval face shape and narrow facial features; he also has the Puntite/Osirid beard:

Cranialdeformation_zpscijtcd9v.jpg

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These statuettes also resemble full-size shabti/shawabti, which are funerary figures that the ancient Egyptians and related early Afro-Asiatic groups in the Sudan area would often carve for the dead.

An Egyptian Faience Shabti for Ankh-Netcher-Hapy, Late Period, Dynasty XXVI (664-525 BCE):

Shabti_zpsoncepcfl.jpg

Interestingly, among the excavated Puntite artifacts were several statuettes with elongated heads. This too is consistent with ancient Egyptian tradition, wherein the custom of artificial cranial deformation was practiced by some Pharaohs and royal officials:

Cranialdeformation2_zps5gjldxbc.jpg

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Some of the excavated Puntite statuettes also bear similarities with ancient Egyptian religious figurines. For example, the Puntite artifact in Figure 11 and the ancient Egyptian bronze oil lamp in Figure 10, which both appear to have been made in honor of the crocodile deity Sobek:

rsz_crocodilefigure_zpsttamapks.jpg

The Puntite statuette in Figure 11 is actually the same one as on the cover, albeit shown in profile:

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Furthermore, the lead archaeologist suggests that the Neolithic rock art at Laas Geel and elsewhere in the northwest and northeast Somali territories often depicts worshippers honoring the ancient Egyptian deity Hathor:

rsz_hathor2_zpsdcodttk7.jpg

Note that the Puntite figures themselves are much bigger than this; the heads are actually larger than life-size. Besides these statuettes (which include several others alongside the ones above), the archaeologists also excavated some stone bowls, among other artifacts. This too is rather interesting since there happens to be an early Cushitic culture called the Savanna Pastoral Neolithic or Stone Bowl Culture, which is characterized by similar stone bowls.

Overall, thanks to the newly excavated Puntite artifacts, the book succeeds in establishing the Horn region as the most likely location of the mysterious Land of Punt. It is easily the most important work yet to be published on the ancient territory.
 
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IntensiveCareUnit

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is this the most credible book on Somalia? i would like to start reading up on our history, but where do start lol
 
is this the most credible book on Somalia? i would like to start reading up on our history, but where do start lol

No! this is just a recent book written after they found sculptures of punitites pharaohs last year. Its mainly on somali ancient preislamic history.

There are many Books on somali history written by somali authors particurlarly on somali medieval sultunates and empires.

You can start of by reading the Historical Dictionary of Somalia written by Mohamed Haji Mukthar! A prominent somali scholar.

i could make threads on The somali medieval sultunates and empires! That would be more easy rather than reading books if you like. Lots of pictures , paintings , artifacts and architecture even videos.
 
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I

IntensiveCareUnit

Guest
No! this is just a recent book written after they found sculptures of punitites pharaohs last year. Its mainly on somali ancient preislamic history.

There are many Books on somali history written by somali authors particurlarly on somali medieval sultunates and empires.

You can start of by reading the Historical Dictionary of Somalia written by Mohamed Haji Mukthar! A prominent somali scholar.

i could make threads on The somali medieval sultunates and empires! That would be more easy rather than reading books if you like. Lots of pictures , paintings , artifacts and architecture even videos.
nice! i think you should :hehehe:
 

Land of Punt

Punt is an cushtic empire located in the horn
So the land of punt stretched from Djbouti, Somaliland, and Puntland?

artifacts have been found from bari to the northern coast of eritrea,

if you want to put in modern context, it streched from eritrea,djibouti, ethiopia,somaliland,puntland

its where the modern horn populations orginate from - habesha, oromo and somalis
 

Al Dhoobe

Dr. Dhoobe
I'm really waiting for major archeological studies to take place in somaliland. Just looking at how empty the place is makes me wonder what's out there...I know there will be groundbreaking findings in the near future
 
artifacts have been found from bari to the northern coast of eritrea,

if you want to put in modern context, it streched from eritrea,djibouti, ethiopia,somaliland,puntland

its where the modern horn populations orginate from - habesha, oromo and somalis

What artifacts did they find in Eritrea?
 
So the land of punt stretched from Djbouti, Somaliland, and Puntland?

Well according to Ahmed Ibrahim Awale. He is the gentleman that led the recent archaeological excavations in Gol Waraabe, and he explains therein that Punt occupied all of the northern Somali territory: Both Puntland and Somaliland.

By the way, check out this interesting exchange between Ahmed and some gaalo dude. The other guy insinuates that the Land of Punt was in Eritrea, northern Ethiopia and Somaliland only, and Ahmed (writing as Dirkii Sacmaallada) sets the record straight by pointing out that actual Puntite artifacts have so far only been found in northern Somalia as a whole so the territory was likely centered there, though it probably also included Eritrea and northern Ethiopia ("In the light of the above. I totally disagree with the author of the article for denying Puntland as being part of the mysterious Land of Punt").
 
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I'm really waiting for major archeological studies to take place in somaliland. Just looking at how empty the place is makes me wonder what's out there...I know there will be groundbreaking findings in the near future

Yes, there is undoubtedly many other Puntite artifacts that will be discovered once major excavations are launched. Probably even entire monuments if they dig deep enough. Its funny they found those particular Puntite statuettes and implements only one meter below ground, and in the very first spot that they excavated.
 

Tucking_Fypo

سلطنة مجرتين
VIP
The whites know where Punt was located but are trying to keep it unknown as egyptologi and everything connected to it is big business, the moment it's proven without a doubt the egyptians were black they think the popularity will die off.
During my time back home i was suspicious of foreign NGOs and believed they collected any artifacts found or bought it of looters, they also traveled to areas known for traces of ancient history and took geological samples but while locals thought they were after emeralds i always had a gut feeling they were after artifacts.

one way to deny people their heritage is to make them either unaware or make them believe in a different one making easier to manipulate them one of the reasons NGOs often push the arab or xabash origins on somalis.
 
The whites know where Punt was located but are trying to keep it unknown as egyptologi and everything connected to it is big business, the moment it's proven without a doubt the egyptians were black they think the popularity will die off.
During my time back home i was suspicious of foreign NGOs and believed they collected any artifacts found or bought it of looters, they also traveled to areas known for traces of ancient history and took geological samples but while locals thought they were after emeralds i always had a gut feeling they were after artifacts.

one way to deny people their heritage is to make them either unaware or make them believe in a different one making easier to manipulate them one of the reasons NGOs often push the arab or xabash origins on somalis.

Its all political saaxiib.

And you are right they are literally robbing Puntland and Somaliland of artifacts as we speak

I posted an article about this a while ago.


http://roadsandkingdoms.com/2013/the-grave-robbers-of-hargeisa/
If the department had more resources, perhaps they could pay the looters to protect the sites, as they are at least familiar with the relics and appreciative of their scale. As it is, most Somalis do not know the heritage of their nation, nor do they encounter it with regularity. So when they find an object, they more likely view it as a strange remnant of some alien civilization. They’re fond of attributing relics to giants, and either way seem eager to destroy or sell them.
Others like Ali, have decided that their nation invented Egyptian culture, and their problems must stem in part from an Egyptian cover-up of that fact.

This climate of mistrust has led some like Ali and others to believe that there is a foreign conspiracy afoot to rob Somalis of their history. Ali suspects that the Egyptian Library next to the Presidential Compound in Hargeisa is a front for clandestine Egyptian saboteurs and foreign agents. He alleges that these agents are trying to keep Somaliland down, afraid that their archaeological heritage will supersede Egypt’s and rob that country of their much-needed tourism revenue.
 
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