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At the time when Carthage was dominating the Western Mediterranean basin, Carthaginian seamen were also exploring the as-yet unknown regions behind their borders: the Atlantic coasts of Africa and Europe. In this article, we will discover the expeditions of the two main Carthagninian explorers: Hanno the Navigator, who explored the African coasts, and Himilco, who, sailing North, went all the way to Britain.
Hanno the Navigator explores the West African coasts
Hanno the Navigator was a member of the Magonid dynasty, which reigned in Carthage from 550 to 340. He might have been a son of Hamilcar I (510-480), the last king of Carthage before the Senate took over political power. In this case, Hanno would probably also have held the title of “king”, bus as a merely symbolic function.
Hanno the Navigator is known for his exploration of the West African coasts, during the 5th Century BCE. He wrote a Periplus, a travel narrative. The original Periplus, written in Punic language, is now lost, but an abbreviated 101-lines-long Greek version is still available.
His Periplus recounts how, after leaving Gades (Cadiz) with a fleet of 60 ships and 30.000 men, and crossing the Pillars of Hercules, he founded colonies (or re-manned abandoned old Phoenician colonies) in modern-day Morocco, and then continued sailing further South, into yet uncharted waters. We don’t know exactly how far he got: while some believe he didn’t go any further than the Dakhla Peninsula, most specialists admit he probably went beyond the Senegal river delta, maybe all the way to Gabon. He turned back when his expedition had no more provisions left.
The various places he discovered are difficult to identify with any degree of certainty. He probably stopped in the Canary Islands, and maybe also in the Cape Verde Islands. An important step in his expedition was an island he called the Island of Kerne, where he founded a colony. This island was probably situated in the Bay of Arguin (Banc d’Arguin), in modern-day Mauritania.
The Periplus also mentions several people groups he discovered. Quite early in his travels, he encountered the Lixitae, a nomadic, probably Amazigh, tribe, that was friendly to him. A few Lixitae accompanied him for the rest of his travels. After the Island of Kerne, he encountered “Ethiopians” (Black Africans), who spoke a language that was unintelligible even to the Lixitae. Finally, close to the end of his travels, at a place he calls the “Horn of the South” (Bight of Biafra?), he encountered a savage, hostile tribe, which he called the “Gorillae”. Three men from this tribe were killed, and their skins taken back to Carthage.
In the 1st Century BCE, The King of Mauretania Juba II wrote a book on Hannon’s travels.
Himilco sails all the way to Britain
Himilco was a contemporary of Hanno the Navigator. Nothing is known about his life: at the time, there was a Himilco, from the Magonid dynasty, who served as general in Sicily; but it is uncertain whether it is the same person.
Around the same time when Hanno explored the African coasts, Himilco sailed North, along the European coast, until he became the first Carthaginian seaman to reach Britain. He probably followed the Tartessian trade road; the Tartessians, a civilisation living in Spain, were allied to Carthage.
Himilco’s expedition was most likely motivated by the quest for new markets where to buy tin, a metal with abundant deposits in Western Europe, used to fabricate bronze. The Carthaginian monopoly on Atlantic tin trade enabled Carthage to become the only major bronze producer in the region.
Like Hanno, Himilco wrote a Periplus. While it is now lost, parts of it are quoted by various Latin authors. After setting sail from Gades (Cadiz), Himilco first traveled to the land of the Oestrimni (modern-day Portugal), where he bought tin. Then, he sailed on to modern-day North-Western France. After arriving in the British Isles, probably Cornwall, he explored the coasts of Britain and Ireland.
Himilco’s Periplus mentions many sea monsters he supposedly encountered during his travels. This is most likely propaganda to scare away potential competitors, especially Greek merchants, on these new trade roads.
Carthaginians to the North of the British Isles? Pytheas of Massalia | The first known explorer of Northern Europe was Pytheas, from Massalia (Marseille), a Greek colony in Southern Gaul. One century after Himilco, Pytheas also navigated to Britain, following the same itinerary: after setting forth from Massalia, he sailed around Spain and Portugal, and then along the coasts of modern-day France. After Britain, he headed northwards, becoming the first to explore the Baltic Sea and the Scandinavian coasts. He also wrote the oldest known description of the Northern lights. Pytheas discovered an island he called Thule, situated six days’ sailing North of Britain, where “the sun shines only two hours a day”, close to a “frozen sea” (the Arctic Ocean). Several alternative identifications have been suggested for this island: Shetland, Iceland, or an island on the Norwegian or Estonian coasts. The etymology of the name of Thule remains a mystery for linguists. A Punic origin, derived from the root tl, (dark, shadowy), is a possibility. However, this would mean that Carthaginian seamen already knew this island before Pytheas. No trace of a Carthaginian presence beyond Britain has been discovered, but it’s not impossible. (Source) |
