The country of Point. Sounds like a fictional location. But nothing is less true. In Egypt's Puntthal, archaeologists discovered a comic strip about the expedition to Punt.
In 1858, the French Egyptologist François A. F. Mariette discovered the so-called Pointal during an excavation to clear the Temple of Hatshepsut. Mariette and his team members cleared this Poenthal of the rubble, partially restored it and recorded the drawings on the walls. These Point reliefs depict Queen Hatshepsut's important expedition to Punt. The queen undertook this expedition after an oracle from the god Amun. The successive scenes and the accompanying inscriptions tell the story of the expedition.
I Departure of the fleet
The depictions of the expedition begin in the lower register of the west wall with five ships, two of which are still moored and the rest are already under sail.
II Receipt in Points
The scenes continue on the south wall. The Egyptians have arrived in Punt. Hatshepsut's messenger, probably Nehsi, has landed on the shore. He is followed by an officer and eight soldiers. On a small table he has displayed gifts from Hatshepsut, including beaded necklaces, an axe, a dagger, and some bracelets and other bodily jewelry. To the left of this is Parahoe, the king of Punt. Behind him is now a replica of Iti, the queen of Punt, on her donkey. Behind this scene, the landscape of Punt can be seen. The huts of the residents of Poent are on stilts. Near the huts are ebony trees whose branches are cut off in large numbers and under which the cattle rest in the shade. The fauna is distinctly African with cattle with long and short twisted horns, giraffes, white dogs with long lop ears, baboons and rhinoceroses. The images of nesting birds in the trees indicate that the expedition must have taken place in the spring. Below the scenes is a waterline with fish, lobsters and a turtle.
III The merchandise
On the right is the tent in which Nehsi (who himself stands in front of the tent) receives the royal family and the rulers of Punt and offers them bread, beer, meat, fruit and other products from Egypt. In front of this scene are the trade goods of the inhabitants of Punt, such as gold rings, boomerangs and a large mountain of incense called Anti. The Queen of Punt looks grotesque, but this is probably a beauty ideal.
IV Loading the vessels
For transport, frankincense trees, root ball and all, are placed in large baskets and are brought on board by porters (IVa and IVb). The trees, sycamores of Anti, were meant to be planted in the garden of Amun. It may have been Boswellia thurifera or Boswellia carterii producing frankincense. After this, the story continues on the west wall (IVc). Two vessels are heavily laden with myrrh trees, sacks filled with myrrh and frankincense, ivory, ebony, precious metals, gems, hides, live wild animals (leopards, monkeys) and boomerangs. Porters carry bags and trees on the gangways.
V The return journey
Three vessels sail with full sails and the cargo to Egypt.
VI Offering gifts to Hatshepsut
Approaching from the left are two men carrying gifts, preceded by the kneeling leaders of Punt, of Irem (an unknown land) and of Nemyu (unknown land). Behind them come Egyptians and inhabitants of Point with myrrh trees and other products from Point.
VII The queen offers the gifts to Amun
The Queen and her Ka, her "image" (VIIa). Products from Poent and Irem (VIIb) and products from Nubia (VIIc).
VIIIa,b,c Weighing and measuring the sacrifices
A large balance with in one scale of the balance large rings of gold and in the other scale weights in the shape of cows (VIIIa). The scene is led by the Egyptian god Horus and the Nubian god Dedwen. At the balance, round and cow weights and amounts of gold are piled up in bars and rings. Two huge mounds of myrrh are scooped by four men in units of measure (VIIIb). The god Thoth is depicted on the far right. Description of measuring and weighing (VIIIc).
IX Formal announcement of the expedition's success to Amun
The queen stands with a staff in her hand (IXb) in front of the enthroned god Amun (IXd). Behind the queen is the sacred barque of Amun, carried by priests. Before this Thuthmose III offers fresh myrrh (IXa). Text in vertical lines between the queen and Amun (IXc) with eulogies of the queen followed by the oracle of Amun.
X The formal announcement of the expedition's success to the court
The queen on her throne in a beautiful kiosk (Xa). Three courtiers stand before her. All figures have been cut away, but the first figure still has the name Nehsi and the middle one the name of Senenmut, Hatshepsut's most important confidant. (Xb) A text consisting of 22 lines. This is probably the most interesting inscription in the Point series. It gives the year nine as the date for the safe return of the expedition. The Queen now delivers a speech to her courtiers from her throne, announcing the great success of the expedition.
Where was the land of Punt?
Mariette thought that Punt was in Arabia, but in 1875 Mariette changed his mind and located Punt in Somaliland. He did this without demonstrable Egyptological evidence, but with arguments drawn from other disciplines, including historical geography, anthropology, zoology and ethnography. According to Rolf Herzog, Punt has been situated on the White or Blue Nile or on the Atbara River in present-day Sudan and the neighboring regions of Ethiopia.