Scientists zero in on ancient Land of Punt

[n2doc]

Scientists zero in on ancient Land of Punt

David Perlman, Chronicle Science Editor

Saturday, May 8, 2010



Thousands of years ago, there once stood a place called Punt, a land of gold and ebony, and ivory, frankincense and myrrh.

To the pharaohs who built their palaces along the Nile, the Land of Punt was the source of great treasure. Among the most prized were Punt's leopards and baboons, which they viewed as sacred and took as royal pets.

The pharaohs sent great expeditions to Punt; they welcomed delegations of Puntites to their palaces, and their scribes recorded their gifts and commercial products in detail.

But not one of the Egyptian scribes who wrote about the strange land - Ta netjer, or God's Land, as it was sometimes called - ever revealed exactly where it lay.

The riddle was left to modern-day scholars to solve.



Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/05/08/MNBN1D3U74.DTL&tsp=1

[jgraz]

1. I hear they're going to give it three tries and then give up.

:hide:

[jberryhill]

2. Unless they get 20 yards closer to it /nt

[jgraz]

3. Then they'll start looking for the ancient land of Fieldgoal.

[jberryhill]

4. They have recreated some cultural rituals

but still do not know the meaning of this sign language.

[bananas]

5. k&r

"punt" = inside joke