This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).
This collaborative research project is being undertaken by Dr. Nathaniel J. Dominy, University of California Santa Cruz, and Dr. Salima Ikram, American University of Cairo, Egypt, to analyze isotope ratios of mummified baboons and to compare them with modern baboon populations in an attempt to identify the location of the lost city of Punt.
Punt was a celebrated destination in Ancient Egypt. It was an exporter of valued commodities such as ebony, myrrh, electrum, and exotic pets (leopards and baboons). The historical importance of the Egypt-Punt relationship is twofold. First, it is one of the earliest examples of peaceful trade between neighboring political states. Second, it is one of the longest commercial alliances in human history, spanning more than 1200 years. Yet the location of Punt is a mystery. Scholarly debate over the past century has resulted in five hypothetical regions: (1) Eritrea-Ethiopia; (2) the Sinai Peninsula; (3) Somalia; (4) western Uganda, and (5) Yemen. The collaboration will test among these competing geographic hypotheses by measuring ratios of carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen stable isotopes in the hair and bone tissues of mummified baboons, which were likely imported from Punt. The distinctive combination of these values is expected to match those of a modern baboon population inhabiting one of the five hypothetical locations above. This cross-disciplinary project represents a unique bridge between Geology (Geochemistry) and three sub-disciplines in Anthropology (Archaeology, Egyptology, and Primatology). The results are expected to complement and inform ongoing debates concerned with Egyptian history and foreign trade.
The broader impact of this project lies in its geographic scope and the integration of new and emergent technologies to address a central question in human history. Empirically, the PIs expect to identify the location of Punt. Theoretically, the research will advance our understanding of how human commerce and foreign policy evolved. Practically, the PI intends to enhance the education and laboratory training of 2 graduate students. The project will also permit greater intellectual exchange across academic disciplines and international borders.
