Hannu
Encyclopedia
Hennu or Henenu was an Egyptian noble, serving as m-r-pr "majordomus" under Mentuhotep II
and Mentuhotep III
in the 21st to 20th century BC. He reportedly re-opened the trade routes to Punt
and Libya
for the Middle Kingdom of Egypt
.
He is known from two inscriptions, in Wadi Hammamat
no. 114 (ca. 2000 BC) as hnw and in Deir el-Bahari (MMA 510; TT 313) as hnnw. It is unclear whether the two inscriptions refer to the same person. William Christopher Hayes postulated their identity while Herbert Eustis Winlock was hesitant to identify them.
James P. Allen considers hnw a successor of hnnw as the pharaoh's m-r-pr.
and on to the coast of the Red Sea.
Hannu is said to have sailed down the Red Sea to explore the southeastern areas of the Arabian peninsula. He sent the ship off to the Land of Punt; though some think that he commanded it himself, the record is ambiguous. After the ship's return Hannu delivered the traded goods (referred to as "gifts" or perhaps "tribute") including myrrh
, precious metal and wood
to the king.
The first voyage to the Ophir
and the land of Punt
took place under Sankh-ka-ra. According to the words of the rock inscription, everything needful was wisely prepared for the expedition, for which Pharaoh chose as leader and guide the noble Hannu, who gives us the following account of his voyage:
After a destroyed passage of the inscription, of considerable length, of which, however, enough has been preserved to show us that the narration went on to state that the armed force was sent with the expedition to protect and defend it against the enemy, and that officers of the king, as well as stonecutters and other workpeople, accompanied it, Hannu continues:
M. Chabas, who first laid open to our understanding |his important inscription and its contents, accompanied his translation by excellent remarks on the direction of the desert road from Coptos to the Red Sea. He shows convincingly that already in those remote times the ancient Egyptians had opened a road to establish a communication with the land of Punt, and to import its products—rare and valuable wares—into the Nile valley.
gf
Mentuhotep II
Nebhepetre Mentuhotep II was a Pharaoh of the 11th dynasty, the son of Intef III of Egypt and a minor queen called Iah. His own wife was the 'king's mother' Tem. Other wives were Neferu and several secondary wives, one or more who it has been suggested were possibly Nubian, buried in his...
and Mentuhotep III
Mentuhotep III
Sankhkare Mentuhotep III of the Eleventh dynasty was Pharaoh of Egypt during the Middle Kingdom. He was assigned a reign of 12 years in the Turin Canon.-Family:Mentuhotep III was the son and successor of Mentuhotep II...
in the 21st to 20th century BC. He reportedly re-opened the trade routes to Punt
Land of Punt
The Land of Punt, also called Pwenet, or Pwene by the ancient Egyptians, was a trading partner known for producing and exporting gold, aromatic resins, African blackwood, ebony, ivory, slaves and wild animals...
and Libya
Ancient Libya
The Latin name Libya referred to the region west of the Nile Valley, generally corresponding to modern Northwest Africa. Climate changes affected the locations of the settlements....
for the Middle Kingdom of Egypt
Middle Kingdom of Egypt
The Middle Kingdom of Egypt is the period in the history of ancient Egypt stretching from the establishment of the Eleventh Dynasty to the end of the Fourteenth Dynasty, between 2055 BC and 1650 BC, although some writers include the Thirteenth and Fourteenth dynasties in the Second Intermediate...
.
He is known from two inscriptions, in Wadi Hammamat
Wadi Hammamat
' is a dry river bed in Egypt's Eastern Desert, about halfway between Qusier and Qena. It was a major mining region and trade route east from the Nile Valley in ancient times, and three thousand years of rock carvings and graffiti make it a major scientific and tourist site today.-Trade...
no. 114 (ca. 2000 BC) as hnw and in Deir el-Bahari (MMA 510; TT 313) as hnnw. It is unclear whether the two inscriptions refer to the same person. William Christopher Hayes postulated their identity while Herbert Eustis Winlock was hesitant to identify them.
James P. Allen considers hnw a successor of hnnw as the pharaoh's m-r-pr.
Travels
In the eighth year of the reign of Mentuhotep III Hannu set out from Coptos at the head of a three thousand men strong army, crossed the mountainous Eastern Desert by way of Wadi HammamatWadi Hammamat
' is a dry river bed in Egypt's Eastern Desert, about halfway between Qusier and Qena. It was a major mining region and trade route east from the Nile Valley in ancient times, and three thousand years of rock carvings and graffiti make it a major scientific and tourist site today.-Trade...
and on to the coast of the Red Sea.
Hannu is said to have sailed down the Red Sea to explore the southeastern areas of the Arabian peninsula. He sent the ship off to the Land of Punt; though some think that he commanded it himself, the record is ambiguous. After the ship's return Hannu delivered the traded goods (referred to as "gifts" or perhaps "tribute") including myrrh
Myrrh
Myrrh is the aromatic oleoresin of a number of small, thorny tree species of the genus Commiphora, which grow in dry, stony soil. An oleoresin is a natural blend of an essential oil and a resin. Myrrh resin is a natural gum....
, precious metal and wood
Wood
Wood is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many trees. It has been used for hundreds of thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression...
to the king.
Inscriptions
Hannu wrote of his expedition in stone. Under Sankhkara, whose name occurs as the 58th on the Table of Abydus, lived a functionary named Hannu, who records on a rock-inscription, in this same valley of Hammamat, some particulars of his reign, from which it appears that the kings of this dynasty had dealings with Arabia; and the trade thus introduced directly by the valley route from Coptos to the Red Sea, seems to have revived the fallen fortunes of the old monarchy.The first voyage to the Ophir
Ophir
Ophir is a port or region mentioned in the Bible, famous for its wealth. King Solomon is supposed to have received a cargo of gold, silver, sandalwood, precious stones, ivory, apes and peacocks from Ophir, every three years.- Citations :...
and the land of Punt
Land of Punt
The Land of Punt, also called Pwenet, or Pwene by the ancient Egyptians, was a trading partner known for producing and exporting gold, aromatic resins, African blackwood, ebony, ivory, slaves and wild animals...
took place under Sankh-ka-ra. According to the words of the rock inscription, everything needful was wisely prepared for the expedition, for which Pharaoh chose as leader and guide the noble Hannu, who gives us the following account of his voyage:
I was sent to conduct ships to the land of Punt, to fetch for Pharaoh sweet-smelling spices, which the princes of the red land collect out of fear and dread, such as he inspires in all nations. And I started from the city of Coptos.—And his Holiness gave the command that the armed men, who were to accompany me, should be from the south-country of the Thebai'd.'
After a destroyed passage of the inscription, of considerable length, of which, however, enough has been preserved to show us that the narration went on to state that the armed force was sent with the expedition to protect and defend it against the enemy, and that officers of the king, as well as stonecutters and other workpeople, accompanied it, Hannu continues:
'And I set out thence with an army of 3,000 men, and passed through " the red hamlet," and through a cultivated country. I had skins and 'poles prepared to carry the vessels of water, twenty in number. And of people one carried a load daily [lacuna], . . . and another placed the load on him. And I had a reservoir of twelve perches dug in a wood, and two reservoirs at a place called Atahet, one of a perch and twenty cubits, and the other of a perch and thirty cubits. And I made another at Ateb, of ten cubits by ten on each side, to contain water of a cubit in depth. Then I arrived at the port Seba (?), and I had ships of burthen built to bring back products of all kinds. And I offered a great sacrifice of oxen, cows, and goats. And when I returned from Seba (?), I had executed the king's command, for I brought him back all kinds of products which I had met with in the ports of the Holy Land. And I came back by the road of Uak and Rohan, and brought with me precious stones for the statues of the temples. But such a thing never happened since there were kings; nor was the like of it ever done by any blood relations who were sent to these places since the time (of the reign) of the Sun-god Ra. And I acted thus for the king on account of the great favour which he entertained for me.'
M. Chabas, who first laid open to our understanding |his important inscription and its contents, accompanied his translation by excellent remarks on the direction of the desert road from Coptos to the Red Sea. He shows convincingly that already in those remote times the ancient Egyptians had opened a road to establish a communication with the land of Punt, and to import its products—rare and valuable wares—into the Nile valley.
Principal stations
In his account of the journey Hannu speaks of five principal stations at which the wanderer halted, and man and beast (then probably the ass, the only beast of burthen proved to have been used in those times) strengthened themselves for their further progress by enjoying the fresh drinking water. This is also the same road that, in the time of the Ptolemies and Romans, led from Coptos in an easterly direction to the harbour of Leucos Limen (now Qossier) on the Red Sea; the great highway and commercial thoroughfare of merchants of all countries, who traded in the wonderful products of Arabia and India; the bridge of the nations, which of old united Asia and Europe.gf