Overview

In the 12th Dynasty (ca. 1985-1773 BC) the Egyptian state sent a number of seafaring expeditions to the land of Punt, located somewhere in the southern Red Sea region, in order to bypass control of the upper Nile by the Kerma kingdom. Excavations at Mersa/Wadi Gawasis on the Red Sea coast of Egypt from 2001 to 2011 have uncovered evidence of the ancient harbor (Saww) used for these expeditions, including parts of ancient ships, expedition equipment and food – all transported ca. 150 km across the desert from Qift in Upper Egypt to the harbor. This book summarizes the results of these excavations for the organization of these logistically complex expeditions, and evidence at the harbor for the location of Punt. “[There] is no shortage of analysis relating to the Punt expeditions, much of which is likely to become the new ‘standard’ account of these voyages and of the huge logistical and ideological undertaking they represented. The volume will therefore be of immense value to scholars and students of ancient Egypt, and of ancient seafaring more generally.” - Julian Whitewright, University of Southampton, in: The International Journal of Nautical Archaeology 48.2 (2019)

Full Product Details

Author:   Kathryn A. Bard ,  Rodolfo Fattovich†
Publisher:   Brill
Imprint:   Brill
Volume:   96
Weight:   0.538kg
ISBN:  

9789004368507

ISBN 10:   9004368507
Pages:   236
Publication Date:   23 August 2018
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Available To Order  
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Table of Contents

Preface Acknowledgements List of Illustrations 1 Egyptian Long-distance Trade, Pharaonic Expeditions and Direct Control of Sources of Raw Materials in Northeast Africa and the Sinai in the Middle Kingdom  Introduction  Mining Turquoise and Copper in the Sinai  The Harbor Site at Ayn Soukhna  Mining Galena at Gebel Zeit  Mining Gold and Quarrying Stone in the Wadi Hammamat  Nubian Resources and Egyptian Occupation  The Harbor at Mersa/Wadi Gawasis 2 Archaeological Investigations at Mersa/Wadi Gawasis  The Pharaonic Harbor at Mersa/Wadi Gawasis  Archaeological Investigations at Mersa/Wadi Gawasis  Evidence of Ships and Cargo Boxes  Sealings, Stelae and Ostraca  Ceramics  Stone Tools  Plant and Animal Remains  Environmental Context of the Harbor Site  Chronology of the Harbor Site  Summary: Archaeological and Geological Investigations at Mersa/Wadi Gawasis 3 Spatial Use of the Mersa/Wadi Gawasis Harbor in the 12th Dynasty  Overview  The Eastern Terrace  The Harbor  Central Terrace and Western Terrace Top  Western Terrace Slope  Western Terrace Slope, North  Western Terrace Slope, South  Caves 2 and 3  Cave 5  Cave 7 and the Alcove Shrine  Harbor Edge  Production Area  Ramps (slipways?)  Western Terrace, Southern Slope  Beach Area above the Harbor  Stelae Associated with the Gallery-Caves  Spatial Organization of the Harbor of Saww Compared to the Harbors at Ayn Soukhna and Wadi El-Jarf 4 Organization of Mersa/Wadi Gawasis Seafaring Expeditions in the 12th Dynasty: The Textual Evidence  Textual Evidence at Mersa/Wadi Gawasis  Stelae  Cargo Box Inscriptions  Sealings and Papyri  Ostraca  Two Wooden Tags  Dates of Known Expeditions Based on Textual Evidence  Translation by Eugene Cruz-Uribe† of the Hieroglyphic Text of the Ankhu Stela (Eastern Jamb, Central Block, and Western Jamb) Found at Mersa/Wadi Gawasis by A.M. Sayed and Recorded in These Articles 5 Organization of Seafaring Expeditions from Mersa/Wadi Gawasis in the 12th Dynasty: Archaeological Evidence at the Harbor  Archaeological Evidence of Seafaring Expeditions at Mersa/Wadi Gawasis  Shipbuilding  Ship Technology  Ship Wood  Cargo Boxes  Rope/Ship Rigging  Linen: Ship Sails, Caulking(?), and Clothing  Copper Alloy Strips for Ship Timber Fastenings  Other Expedition Supplies: Clothing, Footwear, Camp Furnishings  Egyptian Ceramics at the Harbor Site  Non-Egyptian Ceramics at the Harbor Site  Shelter for Expedition Members  Food Supplies and Storage, Food Processing and Baking/Cooking  Local Production of Stone Tools  Non-Egyptian Stone Tools at the Harbor Site  Summary Appendix: Bread Baking Experiments  Ancient Egyptian Bread Making  Evidence of Bread Making at Mersa/Wadi Gawasis  Experimenting with Middle Kingdom Bread Making  Conclusions 6 Interpreting Ideology at Saww: Ritual Practices, Memorial Shrines, and Commemorative Stelae  Ceremonial Shrines and Commemorative Stelae at Mersa/Wadi Gawasis  Shrines Constructed along the Red Sea Coast  Shrines/Monuments on the Terrace Top Overlooking Wadi Gawasis  The Alcove Shrine along the Western Terrace Slope  Stelae  Stelae in Monumental Structures  Stelae at Mersa Gawasis  Stelae Placed in Niches Carved in the Western Terrace Wall  Use of Stelae at Saww  Mersa/Wadi Gawasis Stelae and the Gods  Archaeology of Ritual and Religion at Mersa/Wadi Gawasis 7 The Land of Punt: A View from Mersa/Wadi Gawasis  Punt and Mersa/Wadi Gawasis  The Land of Punt: Egyptian Evidence  Location of Punt: Natural Resources (Figure 41)  The Land of Punt: Cultural Evidence (Figure 43)  Punt and Bia-Punt, and the Evidence from Mersa/Wadi Gawasis: Inscriptions  Punt and the Evidence from Mersa/WadiGawasis: Paleoethnobotanical Remains and Lithics  Punt and the Evidence from Mersa/Wadi Gawasis: Exotic Ceramics  Location of Bia-Punt and Punt: Ceramic Evidence at Mersa/Wadi Gawasis 8 Long-distance Routes Involved in the Punt Expeditions  Routes from Egypt to Punt/Bia-Punt  The Levant and Maritime Trade with Punt  Land Routes from the Nile Valley to the Red Sea Coast  Sea Route to and from the Southern Red Sea  Land Routes in Punt/Bia-Punt  Maritime Expeditions to Punt/Bia-Punt 9 The 12th Dynasty Punt/Bia-Punt Expeditions from Mersa/Wadi Gawasis References Index

Reviews

[There] is no shortage of analysis relating to the Punt expeditions, much of which is likely to become the new 'standard' account of these voyages and of the huge logistical and ideological undertaking they represented. The volume will therefore be of immense value to scholars and students of ancient Egypt, and of ancient seafaring more generally. -Julian Whitewright, University of Southampton, The International Journal of Nautical Archaeology 48.2 (2019).

“[There] is no shortage of analysis relating to the Punt expeditions, much of which is likely to become the new ‘standard’ account of these voyages and of the huge logistical and ideological undertaking they represented. The volume will therefore be of immense value to scholars and students of ancient Egypt, and of ancient seafaring more generally.” - Julian Whitewright, University of Southampton, in: The International Journal of Nautical Archaeology 48.2 (2019)

Author Information

Kathryn A. Bard (Ph.D. 1987), is Professor of Archaeology and Professor of Classical Studies at Boston University. She has excavated in Egypt and Ethiopia, and her publications include Introduction to the Archaeology of Ancient Egypt (Wiley-Blackwell, 2008, 2015). Rodolfo Fattovich† (Ph.D. 1972), was Professor of Ethiopian Archaeology and Egyptian Archaeology at the University of Naples “L’Orientale,” where he taught 1975-2014. He excavated in Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan, and published over 200 articles and other works.

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