The expedition of the Carthaginian explorer Hanno is well documented in the voyage's log, which has been preserved. The log records that Hanno “departed with 60 ships, each with 50 rowers. On board were men, women, and children, totalling 30,000.”
Two days after sailing past the Strait of Gibraltar, the expedition made landfall and founded a city called Thymiaterion.“From there to Cape Libya,” continues the log,“stretched a vast, tree-covered plain. There we built a temple for Poseidon, the god of the sea, and then sailed on to the south. We reached a lake where there were elephants and other wild animals. After another day of travel we founded new colonies and reached the river Lixos. A tribe of Berber shepherds lived on the banks of this river with their flocks; we befriended them and rested for a few days.” They then sailed on for three more days, reaching a bay where they founded another colony. They believed this place to be as far to the west of the Strait of Gibraltar as Carthage was to the east. Eventually, the expedition reached a large river up which they sailed, coming to a lake on the banks of which rose great mountains.“On their slopes,” records the log,“roamed wild people dressed in animal skins who pelted us with stones. From there we came to another wide river with many crocodiles and hippopotamuses.” Back at the coast, they continued to sail
This stone relief depicts a Phoenician merchant vessel. The Phoenicians’ considerable seafaring skills enabled them to make great voyages of discovery, such as that made by the explorer Hanno.
South, noting that the land was inhabited by “Ethiopians” (by which they meant black Africans).After three weeks' sailing, they came to a gulf where many “wild people” lived. “Their bodies were completely covered with hair,” notes the log, “and our interpreters called them gorillas. We tried to catch one but we did not succeed in catching a male because they climbed into trees and defended themselves with stones. We did catch three females, but because they bit everyone, we had to kill them. After we had skinned them, we took their hides back to the city of Carthage.”
Although these hairy “people” were described as gorillas, it seems probable that they were actually chimpanzees, since gorillas would not have been so easy to catch. After this encounter, Hanno decided that the expedition was running out of provisions, and they turned back. It is not known quite how far south Hanno sailed, but it seems probable that the expedition traveled as far as Sierra Leone.
World History
