The Carthaginian Hanno is also mentioned as having sailed in a period of 35 days down to the Bight of Bonny, probably as far as Sherbro Island off Sierra Leone or Cape Palmas off the south-east coast of Liberia. The date is uncertain, but is likely to have been early 5th c. B.C. An account of his periplus was engraved in Punic on a bronze tablet set up in the temple of Baal at Carthage. It was translated into Greek and this translation still survives - the only piece of Carthaginian literature we have.[2] According to it 'sixty ships fifty oars each were sent out from Carthage together with a body of men and women to the number of 30,000 and provisions and other necessaries'. They settled colonies on the way. These included Thymiaterion (now Meledia), Carian Fort (now Mogador) Aera (now Agadir) and Cerne, possibly at the mouth of the Rio de Oro.[3] One night the sight of many fires burning and the sound of cymbals, drums and confused shouts frightened the Carthaginians away from an island. They may have witnessed one of the native festivals which are still celebrated there in this way. The Portuguese voyager Pedro da Cunta also heard similar sounds in 1450.[4] The account continues: 'We passed a country burning with streams of fire and perfumes from which great torrents of fire flowed down to the sea (natives burning grass along the Niger?); in the middle was a lofty fire larger than the rest, which seemed to touch the stars; when day came we discovered it to be a large hill called the Chariot of the Gods' This may have been Mt. Kakulima in Guinea (?); some have also suggested Mt Cameroon in the Cameroons (?).[5] Then 'We came to an island with a lake and in this lake there was another island full of savage people, the greater part of which were women whose bodies were hairy and whom our interpreters called "Gorillas".' (Sherbro Island?). They pursued and captured some of the women 'but they could not be prevailed to accompany us'. So they killed and flayed them and later took their skins back to Carthage.[6] They did not sail on any further 'as our provisions failed us.' Hanno's account was used by Ptolemy and remained the standard guide for seafarers until Portuguese explorations of the 15th century.[7]
We also have some fragmentary evidence that a certain Euthymenes of Massilia sailed down the west coast of Africa as far as a river which was infested with crocodiles and whose waters were driven back by strong sea breezes. He thought that this river was the Nile, but it may in fact have been the Senegal River. Euthymenes, however, is an obscure figure. We do not even know in what century he lived.[8]
Now what if Hanno would have sailed further south discovering and establish citites along the fertile West African Coast? Could these Carthaginan colonies maintained the Punic traditions after the fall of Carthage? Would these Colonies kept contact with Europe during 145 BCE-1400 AD? If not how would the Portugese react to find an strong Punic Kingdom in West Africa strongly resisting them and pushing them away from the slave trade in Africa ? Or even an Punic Age of Discovery before the Vikings?
We also have some fragmentary evidence that a certain Euthymenes of Massilia sailed down the west coast of Africa as far as a river which was infested with crocodiles and whose waters were driven back by strong sea breezes. He thought that this river was the Nile, but it may in fact have been the Senegal River. Euthymenes, however, is an obscure figure. We do not even know in what century he lived.[8]
Now what if Hanno would have sailed further south discovering and establish citites along the fertile West African Coast? Could these Carthaginan colonies maintained the Punic traditions after the fall of Carthage? Would these Colonies kept contact with Europe during 145 BCE-1400 AD? If not how would the Portugese react to find an strong Punic Kingdom in West Africa strongly resisting them and pushing them away from the slave trade in Africa ? Or even an Punic Age of Discovery before the Vikings?