Hatshepsut's Trading Expedition to Punt
The expedition to Punt under Hatshepsut is depicted in extraordinary detail across the walls of her mortuary temple at Deir el-Bahari (near modern Luxor), making it one of the best-documented trading missions of the ancient world. Five large ships returned laden with 31 living myrrh trees (transplanted in their soil), ebony, ivory, gold, cinnamon, eye cosmetics, apes, monkeys, dogs, and the skins of leopards. The location of Punt — called 'the land of the god' and a source of myrrh since the Old Kingdom — remains debated: proposals include modern Somalia, Eritrea, Yemen, and even Sudan. The reliefs also depict the 'Queen of Punt', shown with what appears to be extreme obesity or a skeletal disorder, and her husband Parehu. The expedition was celebrated as a triumph of royal initiative, demonstrating Hatshepsut's divine favour.
- Year: 1470 BCE
- Category: Economic
