An Unknown Destination. Of all the places to which the Egyptians traveled, probably the one that was for them most evocative of remote and distant locales was Punt. This area has never been located with absolute certainty but was probably a coastal region of southern Sudan or, perhaps, Somalia, and may also have included areas of southern Arabia, just across the Red Sea from Somalia itself.

Early Contacts. Punt was known as early as the Old Kingdom (circa 2675-2130 B.C.E.). The earliest reference is from the reign of Sahure, who sent an expedition there for myrrh and electrum (a mixture of silver and gold). Two pharaohs, Djedkare Isesi of Dynasty 5 (circa 2500-2350 B.C.E.) and Neferkare Pepy II of Dynasty 6 (circa 2350-2170 B.C.E.), reportedly received pygmies from Punt, although in all likelihood they had been...