Off to punt we go
Userkaf passes the throne to his son, Sahure (“One Who is Close to Re”). For the first time in recorded history, a royal fleet is dispatched from Egypt’s Red Sea ports to visit the land of Punt.
To commemorate the expedition, the king orders that his pyramid causeway be decorated in a lavish series of representations.
Listen on 
Bibliography
- Tarek el-Awady, Abusir XVI: Sahure – the Pyramid Causeway, 2009.
- Gay Robins, The Art of Ancient Egypt, 2008.
Prior to this lesson, the name of Sahure equated to nothing more than palm🌴 capital Aswan red granite columns (they’re in his pyramid’s temple complex) in my mind, as I had no knowledge whatsoever of his rule or his deeds. Now, at least on a basic level, I know some info about him. No longer are these kings of old no more to me than just those monuments they had crafted for themselves; actual people who did actual things are coming into shape the more I listen this podcast (although their monuments are still pretty darn cool, hehe)🙂
As for Punt, the only Pharaoh I could remember learning about going there was Hatshepsut, & the only reason I remembered about her travels there was because of the Queen of Punt, &, let’s face it, the Queen of Punt is quite an unforgettable figure!😆
Beyond fairly rote details about the nile flood, has the Palermo stone been a useful source for the past 10 episodes, or is its style too laconic/unreliable