When we speak of great explorers, one imagines
the likes of Columbus, Magellan, and De Gama who travelled across the vast seas to discover
exotic locations. However the Age of Exploration in the 15 to 17th centuries was long predated
by the often overlooked explorers of Antiquity who travelled vast distances beyond the edges
of the known world. Among these, perhaps none were more prolific than the Carthaginians who
ventured out past the pond of the Mediterranean to explore what lay beyond in the Atlantic.
Today let us share in their discoveries. this video was sponsored by magellan tv
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below or going to try.magellantv.com invicta The past was a world filled with unknowns,
not just for us learning about it today but also for those experiencing it at the time.
We must remember that for most of history, an individual's knowledge of the world was quite
limited. Surely they would have been familiar with their local community and perhaps a few
major nodes of civilization adjoining their own but overall their information bubble was small.
Perhaps elders or traders spoke of what lay beyond but one must imagine that these stories
often blurred the lines of fact and fiction. Take for instance the famed tales of Herodotus
who claims to have traveled widely, conducting interviews and collecting reports for his book
“the histories”. It is from him that we hear of giant ants the size of foxes in India, of hole
dwelling people who shrieked like bats in Libya, and of folk who neither ate living things
nor had dreams in the Atlas mountains. These sorts of distorted views of the world
colored the perspective of our ancestors. Even the most well informed knew
precious little about the world at large. Now I don’t want to give you the false impression
that people were entirely clueless of their surroundings, they weren’t. Rather my purpose
with this preamble is to reset our modern frame of reference to the realities of just how
pervasive the unknown was in the ancient world. Yet while the darkness might be frightening it
is also an invitation to those bearing torches. After all a yearning to discover what lies
beyond has long been a human trait. Not just out of some vague romantic idea about the nature
of humanity but for the more practical realities that venturing into the unknown can yield
great rewards. Things like new land, resources, and trade are the lifeblood of civilization which
can be unlocked by exploration to propel a people forward. This might be done on foot or on
horseback but by far the most common and efficient means of exploration was by water. This
was especially true in the context of the ancient Mediterranean which was essentially a giant
pool around whose edges were gathered countless communities. Though these might lie months apart
by land they could lie just weeks apart by sea. Thus the keys to the unknown were often unlocked
by boats, or to be more precise by galleys. These were long, narrow draft ships powered primarily
by oar and backed up by sail. In the early days it was the ancient Phoenecians of the Levant who
pioneered the field through advanced construction methods and navigation. Their mastery of the waves
allowed them to link the far flung markets of the Mediterranean and grow rich from the profits.
Over the centuries, Phoenecians would spread across the Mediterranean founding a vast array of
trading posts and colonies. Such was the extent of their reach that Herodotus even reports a rumor of
them having rounded the entire continent of Africa on behalf of the Egyptians. Even today there are
theories that the Phoenecians made it all the way to the new world. While neither of these have
real historical credence, it does speak to the prolific reputation of the ancient Phoenecians.
It is from these first great explorers that the Carthaginians would inherit their maritime skills.
Let’s now turn to discuss their activities. The Punic colony would have at
first begun learning the ropes by conducting local affairs
along the coast of Africa. However within a few centuries they had certainly
risen to rival their eastern ancestors when it came to maritime exploits. When Phoenecian
power began to wane in the 7th century BC, it would be Carthage who carried on the torch of
exploration, leading it boldly into parts unknown. This was achieved by forging a vast maritime
Empire capable of not only maintaining the old network of trade routes but also expanding its
tendrils into the far corners of the known world. Now gold, silver, copper, lead, tin, salt,
grain, hides, wine, oil, textiles, jewelry, ivory and many more goods bustled across
the sea lanes at an ever increasing pace. This Carthaginian trade network was built and
maintained by the deployment of sea borne fleets composed of merchant, military, and expeditionary
vessels. Merchant fleets for instance served as the workhorses for the mass transportation
of goods. Military fleets meanwhile offered protection against raiders and rivals. And
lastly expeditionary fleets set up new trade posts and colonies which ultimately constituted
the backbone of the Carthaginian sea empire. It is this group which we shall focus on. So what
would one of these expeditionary fleets look like? Well they would have been composed of wooden
galley ships powered by oars and sails. There were a variety of different
types in common usage at this time including the popular penteconter and
later the bireme and trireme models. Small fleets might consist of just a handful of
ships with a hundred or so men in total. Over time as Carthage grew however it would send out larger
and larger expeditions which are reported to have fielded dozens of ships with tens of thousands of
men aboard. Doing so was no easy task as building, outfitting, staffing, and supplying such
expeditions could be incredibly expensive. For reference, in Classical Athens a warship
cost around 57 pounds of silver just to maintain each month. Thus these larger expeditionary fleets
would have required the backing of wealthy private investors or politicians who could leverage the
government’s treasury. In return, these sponsors not only expected substantial financial returns
but also the prestige associated with launching such an expedition. For example we have records
of expeditionary treasures lining the temples of Carthage alongside inscriptions recounting the
related adventures for all in the city to see. But how would the actual exploration process
unfold? Well as we stated, ships would leave their harbors and venture forth under either oar
or sail power. We are told that on a good day a captain could expect to travel somewhere around
100 km. In theory a ship could therefore cross the 1600 km wide Mediterranean in about 2-3 weeks.
However things weren’t so simple. Ships had to make frequent stops to rest and resupply due to
the limited space aboard. Galleys thus frequently pulled into port or onto a beach for the night
to allow the crew to camp, gather supplies, cook, and sleep. One must imagine the great contrast
between how this daily activity took place while in familiar, friendly territory as opposed
to unknown, and potentially hostile lands. Another reason to hug the coast was to avoid
the dangers of open waters. Rough seas and storms could easily sink a ship by either
flooding or outright breaking it into pieces. Yet shallow waters too had their own risks.
Hidden sand bars or rocks could just as easily wreck a ship but at least in these cases
the crew had a better chance of survival. Fleets traveling at sea therefore had to
be extremely careful with their movements. But how did captains navigate in
an age before detailed sea charts, radar, and GPS? Well generally ancient captains
used landmarks by day or the stars and moon by night to judge their position. They would
also keep notes on their daily bearing and distance traveled so as to estimate how
far along they were in their journey. For reference, captains could refer to
existing logs and rudimentary charts which had been produced by others who had come
before them. Well traveled routes would have plenty of readily available information while the
opposite was true for areas off the beaten path. In some cases, a captain might have to
rely on the notes of a single navigator, perhaps translated several times, and dating
back decades or even centuries. Other times they had nothing to go on. In these situations, the
fleet would have to advance with utmost caution. Carthaginian captains used sounding weights to
measure water depth and might even dredge up material from the seabed for analysis. Keeping
careful notes would be critical for finding one's way back home and would be an incredibly
valuable product of the expeditionary journey. A captain’s notes included a wealth of
information including sailing itineraries, lists of ports, warnings about dangerous regions,
and all kinds of geographical and ethnological descriptions of what was encountered. Such a
set of notes, known in Greek as a periplus, therefore functioned as the closest
thing to an atlas in the ancient world. They would be distributed and translated widely
across the Mediterranean with copies being passed on for generations. But perhaps the most famous
peripli of the ancient world were produced by Carthage’s greatest explorers, Hanno and Himilco
the Navigators. Let us now relive their journeys. Both explorers lived in the 6th century
BC and appear to have been contemporaries. Almost certainly they were rich aristocrats who
may have been able to partially or even fully fund the expeditions themselves. Together they
would strike out to explore the lands beyond the Mediterranean by travelling out into the Atlantic
Ocean. Sailing past the pillars of Hercules, the two explorers would then
veer in opposite directions. Himilco’s journey would take him north.
Unfortunately the full account of his adventures have been lost and we are left with just quotes
and references from later authors. As a result we know very little about Himilco himself or the
composition of his fleet. However it does appear that their primary goal was to find the
mysterious Cassiterides, the tin islands. Tin was an incredibly valuable resource in antiquity
which could be combined with copper to produce bronze. It might also be mixed with lead to
create a low-melting point alloy which could be used to join all kinds of other materials
in the production of crafts such as jewelry, pottery, and tools. Tin was also quite rare,
making it a highly prized trading commodity. Himilco appears to have sought the primary source
of Tin by retracing its distribution route. Surely his profit margin would be substantially
higher if he could buy Tin for cheap from the original supplier rather than the 100th
middleman down the line. And so he traveled west from the main Punic territories to Iberia
which was a major hub along the Tin trade route. Here he encountered the Tartesian tribes who were
highly active in the market. Some Tin was indeed produced in the area but most of it was imported
from their own trade routes running up north. Himilco thus spent weeks following these and other
routes up along the shores of western Europe. Along the way he would have stopped to
resupply, trade, and gather information. The further he went, the more strange things
became for this North African explorer. Apparently his account describes dense
seaweed which slowed the fleet to a crawl, doldrums that forced the men to row their way
out of them, thick fog that made it impossible to navigate accurately, and vicious sea monsters that
accosted them. This journey into the lands of myth must have been quite harrowing and we are told
that it lasted a whopping four months to complete. It is hard to tell from our sparse records
just how far they went but some historians have estimated that they may have made it as far as the
tip of Brittany in France or Cornwall in England. Upon its return however Himilco would have
been able to tell an incredible story of his daring adventures and of course cash in on its
immense profits. Such was the lasting impact of his incredible Periplus that it would
still be written about 800 years later. However the exact details of his route appear
to have been a closely guarded secret among the Carthaginians who did not wish for others
to be able to find the fabled land of Tin. The other famous Carthaginian adventurer of this
period was Himilco’s contemporary Hanno. Luckily an abridged greek translation of his account has
actually survived from antiquity and we are thus in a better position to describe his expedition.
This one is reported to have begun with a huge flotilla of 60 penteconters carrying 30,000
people. It was stuffed to the brim with all kinds of supplies and many passengers including not only
the crew but also a huge complement of colonists. I will actually quote our records directly so
you get first person view of the expedition: After passing through the Pillars of Hercules we
went on and sailed for two days' journey beyond, where we founded the first city, which we
called Thymiaterium; it lay in the midst of a great plain. Sailing thence toward the
west we came to Solois, a promontory of Libya, bristling with trees. Having set up an
altar here to Neptune, we proceeded again, going toward the east for half the day, until we
reached a marsh lying no great way from the sea, thickly grown with tall reeds. Here also
were elephants and other wild beasts feeding, in great numbers. Going beyond the marsh a
day's journey, we setted cities by the sea, which we called Caricus Murus,
Gytta, Acra, Melitta and Arambys. Sailing thence we came to the Lixus, a great river
flowing from Libya. By it a wandering people, the Lixitas, were pasturing their flocks; with whom we
remained some time, becoming friends. Above these folk lived unfriendly Ethiopians, dwelling in a
land full of wild beasts, and shut off by great mountains, from which they say the Lixus flows,
and on the mountains live men of various shapes, cave-dwellers, who, so the Lixitas say, are
fleeter of foot than horses. Taking interpreters from them, we sailed twelve days toward the south
along a desert, turning thence toward the east one day's sail. There, within the recess of a bay we
found a small island, having a circuit of fifteen stadia; which we settled, and called it Cerne.
From our journey we judged it to be situated opposite Carthage; for the voyage from Carthage
to the Pillars and thence to Cerne was the same. Thence, sailing by a great river whose name
was Chretes, we came to a lake, which had three islands, larger than Cerne. Running a day's
sail beyond these, we came to the end of the lake, above which rose great mountains, peopled
by savage men wearing skins of wild beasts, who threw stones at us and prevented
us from landing from our ships. Sailing thence, we came to another river, very
great and broad, which was full of crocodiles and hippopotami and then we turned about and went back
to Cerne. Thence we sailed toward the south twelve days, following the shore, which was peopled by
Ethiopians who fled from us and would not wait. And their speech the Lixitas translators who were
with us could not understand. But on the last day we came to great wooded mountains. The wood of
the trees was fragrant, and of various kinds. Sailing around these mountains for two days,
we came to an immense opening of the sea, from either side of which there was level ground
inland; from which at night we saw fire leaping up on every side at intervals, now greater, now less.
Having taken in water there, we sailed along the shore for five days, until we came to a great bay,
which our interpreters said was called the Horn of the West. In it there was a large island,
and within the island a lake of the sea, in which there was another island. Landing there
during the day, we saw nothing but forests, but by night many burning fires, and we heard the
sound of pipes and cymbals, and the noise of drums and a great uproar. Then fear possessed us, and
the soothsayers commanded us to leave the island. And then quickly sailing forth, we passed
by a burning country full of fragrance, from which great torrents of fire flowed down to
the sea. But the land could not be come at for the heat. And we sailed along with all speed, being
stricken by fear. After a journey of four days, we saw the land at night covered with
flames. And in the midst there was one lofty fire, greater than the rest,
which seemed to touch the stars. By day this was seen to be a very high
mountain, called the Chariot of the Gods. Thence, sailing along by the fiery torrents for
three days, we came to a bay, called Horn of the South. In the recess of this bay there was
an island, like the former one, having a lake, in which there was another island, full
of savage men. There were women, too, in even greater numbers. They had hairy bodies,
and the interpreters called them Gorillie. When we pursued them we were unable to take any
of the men; for they all escaped, by climbing the steep places and defending themselves
with stones; but we took three of the women, who bit and scratched their leaders, and would
not follow us. So we killed them and flayed them, and brought their skins to Carthage. For we
did not voyage further, provisions failing us. Thus ends the tale. Its an incredible
account to just read about and one’s imagination runs wild at just thinking
what it would have been like to experience in person. Many academics have tried to match
Hanno’s description to physical locations and thus create a map of his expedition. As
one might imagine this is quite a tricky task and there are a wide variety of hypothesized
routes. One of these proposes that the fleet made it all the way to Cameroon near the
equator. If true this would have meant a roundtrip journey of some 16,000 kilometers
or 40% of the Earth’s circumference. The sheer scope of these expeditions is mind
blowing to me and speaks to the incredible feats of the Carthaginian civilization that
all too often go overlooked. I hope you’ve enjoyed this episode on just one aspect of
their amazing civilization. Be sure to like and subscribe for more content and stay tuned for
new episodes on the history of the Carthaginians.
