Returning to “God’s Land” | Hatshepsut’s Expedition to Punt
As pharaoh, Hatshepsut is remembered for many notable accomplishments achieved during her 22 year reign of Egypt. Her earliest achievements took place on the battlefield, setting her sites on resolving ongoing conflicts disrupting important trade. In her first few years of power, Hatshepsut moved to execute several successful strategic military campaigns in Nubia to the South, and the Levant and Syria to the North. Hieroglyphics tell of the pharaoh proudly fighting alongside her loyal soldiers, restoring glory to the Egyptian Empire. This military action was only the first step on a path to greatness that sees her sailing down the Red Sea to the mythical land of Punt.
Many historians refer to Hatshepsut as “the first great woman of recorded history.” Gender distinctions aside, she was a great ruler period. Hatshepsut left behind a legacy that easily rivaled the success of her male counterparts, with reminders of her prosperity continuing to stand in Egypt today. The fact that Hatshepsut happened to be a woman, while no doubt a rarity amongst rulers of the ancient world, should only further underscore her genius and tenacity: in an era of men, she found a way to defy the norm.
In general, women in Egyptian society had more rights than in other early civilizations (women could own property for example), yet the idea of having a female ruler in her own right was still considered an unique occurrence: only Khent-Kaues, Sobeknefru and maybe Nitocris pre-date her as ruling in their own name, and none of these women were supported by the ruling and religious classes like Hatshepsut. She, like good politicians are prone to do, leveraged these relationships, promising a return to wealth and power under her regime.
Divine/Royal Blood + Noble/Religious Support = Ruling Legitimacy for Hatshepsut
According to artifacts unearthed by archaeologists, we know that Hatshepsut governed with an acute awareness of the potential issues stemming from her gender (there were specific objections to the idea of a woman as pharaoh, and she knew these would need to be addressed). Sometimes appeasing, other times pushing the bounds, she was always ready to confront any concern with a workable solution. For example, she declined to take the traditional pharaonic title, “The Strong Bull” (AKA “The Strong Bull of his Mother”). Instead, Hatshepsut, having previously served as a successful warrior, chose to associate herself with the lioness image of Sekhmet, the major war deity in the Egyptian pantheon. Hatshepsut frequently used representation to control the prevailing narrative regarding her position. She was carefully shaping her legacy, one inscribed statue, obelisk, and temple at a time. The diversity and immensity of commissioned images and structures produced during her reign was quite astounding.
Dreams of Amun
The greatest of Egypt’s pharaohs were consummate builders, and Hatshepsut was no exception. She kept her prized architect, Senenmut, very busy. Hatshepsut built architectural wonders to provide for her people, and to please her gods. From the new wealth she was acquiring from restored trade, Hatshepsut would see built and restored: raised monuments in Nubia at Qasr Ibrim, Semna, Faras and Buhen; work inside the temple at Karnak including at the Temple of Mut (i.e. it’s massive twin granite obelisks) and the Palace of Ma’at; not to mention construction of her awe-inspiring mortuary temple at Dayr al-Bahri (djeser-djeseru). And this is just the short list of some of her commissioned public works. Each of these sites provided the additional advantage of providing a new canvas for Hatshepsut-supported propaganda. I say propaganda as these were stories of Hatshepsut’s life, as told by Hatshepsut.
One interesting snippet of self-authored propaganda involves the story of her divine birth. As the myth goes, the god Amun appeared to Hatshepsut’s mother Ahmose disguised as Thutmose I, “in a flood of light and perfume.” Amun then placed an ankh to Ahmose’s nose, and Hatshepsut was magically conceived. Amun instructed the god Khnum to create a body and ka (life force) for Hatshepsut. With Khnum, Heket, goddess of life and fertility, then guided Ahmose towards a lioness’ bed where she was to give birth to Hatshepsut. Reliefs depicting this immaculate conception of Hatshepsut can be found located inside Karnak as well as on the walls of Dayr al-Bahri.
Other decoded myths reference the importance of this direct connection to the god, Amun. As told by Hatshepsut, Amun often spoke to her in her dreams. During slumber, he would reveal his divine plans to his most beloved daughter. In one such dream, Amun urged Hatshepsut “… to explore the roads to the terraces of myrrh”, AKA the land of Punt. Known to by the ancients as “God’s Land,” Punt is thought to have been part of what is now modern-day Somalia (the likeliest locale due to found artifacts and soil samples), but other historians have argued it to be a part of Ethiopia, Eritrea, or even on the Horn of Africa.
There was a pre-existing relationship with Punt, one which seems to have dwindled over the years. Egyptian and Puntite culture had things in common (i.e. shared language and shared deities), but ties had obviously weakened, possibly a consequence of then above mentioned conflicts. As a result, trade with Punt was conducted through middlemen. Hatshepsut knew that a successful expedition would not only greatly increase Egypt’s wealth, but it would also cement her place in history. So during the ninth year of her reign (1493 BCE in the 18th Dynasty of Egypt), Hatshepsut, under the divine consultation of Amun, officially turned sails towards “God’s Land.”
The Spoils of Punt
To get to Punt, Hatshepsut ordered the construction of an impressive seafaring fleet. The expedition set sail with five ships, each vessel measuring 70 feet long, bearing several sails, and capable of accommodating 210 men (including 30 rowers). That’s right. Hatshepsut voyaged down the Red Sea with a small army of about 1000 people: an intimidating and impressive show of strength by the pharaoh. According to the reliefs, the Puntites greeted the arrival of Hatshepsut with celebration, “imploring her Majesty, hail to thee, King of Egypt, Lady Ra, shining like the solar disk…” Just imagine the spectacle.
The Egyptians brought with them weapons, ore, earthenware, and slaves, eager to trade them for the coveted luxuries of Punt. Arriving with such a formidable number, one gets the sense that Hatshepsut was eager to reap the rewards of her journey, and in abundance. Rewarded she was:
“…loading of the ships very heavily with marvels of the country of Punt; all goodly fragrant woods of God’s Land, heaps of myrrh resin, with fresh myrrh trees, with ebony and pure ivory, with green gold of Amu, with cinnamon wood, khesyt wood, with two kinds of incense, eye-cosmetics (galena), with apes, monkeys, dogs, and with skins of the southern panther, with natives and their children. Never was brought the like of this for any king who has been since the beginning.”
With the mission accomplished, her ships set return sails for Thebes, filled to the brim with the newly acquired treasures from Punt. Hatshepsut would once again make good on her promises of wealth and prosperity. Amun and his people would be pleased.
Making Fragrance History | Thirty-One Myrrh Trees
Hatshepsut’s expedition was an equally important milestone in fragrance history. According to her story, Hatshepsut returned to Thebes with riches that included thirty-one fresh myrrh trees plucked from the terraces of Punt. These trees were to be replanted in the gardens of Amun at Karnak and alongside the steps of Dayr al-Bahri. The proof is in the roots… namely, the old myrrh tree roots uncovered during later excavation of each site. The trees grew. Hatshepsut’s journey to Punt and back is the earliest written record historians have uncovered to describe such plant migration.
With the successful transplantation of myrrh, Egyptians were now able to start sourcing some of their myrrh resin needs locally. In other words, more materials of the perfumery trade were consolidated within the borders of the empire. Hatshepsut’s actions effectively allowed Egypt to take more ownership over the means of perfume production, sowing deeper the seeds of this burgeoning craft. In the wake of Hatshepsut’s reign, Egypt would go on to see the rise of the great perfume cities like Mendes. It is for this reason that many consider Egypt the birthplace of perfume.
Ancient Egyptians adorned, practiced, and worshipped with fragrance. Perfume and incense were referred to as “the breathe of god.” And in crafting perfume, myrrh was a prized material. Myrrh was regularly used in religious rituals, often linked to Hathor, motherhood, or fertility (including, I kid you not, the practice of vaginal fumigation with myrrh). Myrrh was also a key component in the pharaonic kyphi (royal incense mixture). Consider it no coincidence that myrrh later pops up in the Biblical tale of Jesus’ birth. So the next time you find yourself pondering myrrh and perfume, think of the pharaoh Hatshepsut and her legendary journey to the land of Punt.
Eye, Hatshepsut | The Fragrance
Eye, Hatshepsut | The Fragrance Brief
