Puntites (proto-somalis) were the ancient people and ancestors of Somalis who lived in present-day Somalia.
They traded myrrh, spices, gold, ebony, short-horned cattle, ivory and frankincense with the Ancient Egyptians and ancient Mesopotamia through their commercial ports. An Ancient Egyptian expedition sent to Punt by the 18th dynasty Queen Hatshepsut is recorded on the temple reliefs at Deir el-Bahari, during the reign of the Puntite King Parahu and Queen Ati.
In the classical era, the Macrobians, who were Puntites established a powerful tribal kingdom that ruled large parts of modern Somalia. They were reputed for their longevity and wealth, and were said to be the "tallest and handsomest of all men". The Macrobians were warrior herders and seafarers. According to Herodotus' account, the Persian Emperor Cambyses II, upon his conquest of Egypt (525 BC), sent ambassadors to Macrobia, bringing luxury gifts for the Macrobian king to entice his submission. The Macrobian ruler, who was elected based on his stature and beauty, replied instead with a challenge for his Persian counterpart in the form of an unstrung bow: if the Persians could manage to draw it, they would have the right to invade his country; but until then, they should thank the gods that the Macrobians never decided to invade their empire.The Macrobians were a regional power that were known from east to west and were highly advanced in architecture and extremely known for their wealth.
According to Herodotus, the Macrobians practiced an elaborate form of embalming. The Macrobians preserved the bodies of the dead by first extracting moisture from the corpses, then overlaying the bodies with a type of plaster, and finally decorating the exterior in vivid colors in order to imitate the deceased as realistically as possible. They then placed the body in a hollow crystal pillar, which they kept in their homes for a period of about a year.
In the classical period, the Somali city-states of Mosylon, Opone, Malao, Sarapion, Mundus, Essina and Tabae in Somalia developed a lucrative trade network connecting with merchants from Phoenicia, Ptolemic Egypt, Greece, Parthian Persia, Sheba, Nabataea and the Roman Empire. They used the ancient Somali maritime vessel known as the beden to transport their cargo.
They were described to be a regional power house and in many respects a cultivated nation, remarkable for their size, beauty, physical vigour and longevity. A wealthy nation, living in cities with laws and institutions of their own governed by an elective monarch, who according to Herodotus must have met specific intellectual and physical requirements. They had markets, courts of justice and prisons; were skilled in the workings of metals, as well as in some of the fine arts Macrobia was also noted for its gold, which was so plentiful that the Macrobians shackled their prisoners in golden chains.
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