Flourished Circa 2008-1957 B.C.E.
Traveler To Punt

Route to Punt. For the ancient Egyptians, both land and sea travel might be required for a single expedition. This mode of travel was especially the case when the Egyptians wanted to go to Punt. The Nile River is not connected to the Red Sea, so it was necessary for the Egyptians to march overland through the Eastern Desert to reach the coast. The usual route was through a large natural passageway called the Wadi Hammamat (Hammamat Valley), which leaves the Nile valley at a town on the Qena Bend called Coptos and then proceeds eastward to reach the Red Sea coast. Because ancient Egyptian ships were sewn or lashed together, rather than nailed, it was possible for them to be built on the Nile River, taken apart into individual pieces, and carried overland to the Red Sea...