The Periplus of Hanno: A Voyage of Discovery down the West African Coast by a Carthaginian Admiral

by Hanno

A Voyage of Discovery down the West African Coast by a Carthaginian Admiral of the Fifth Century BC. By Hanno. Translated by Wilfred H. Schoff, AM. One of the only surviving complete documents from the great city of Carthage, written by the admiral Hanno at the height of his city's power, this remarkable work describes the fifth century BC attempt to reach the equator by sailing south along the African coast. The author, who also reigned as king of Carthage from 480 until 440 BC, was sent out at the head of a large fleet of ships to explore and colonize the northwestern coast of Africa. He reached as far south as the present-day African state of Gambia, and as he traveled, described the native people he encountered. Hanno's short account was copied by an unknown Greek traveler, and in this way the document was spared from the subsequent total destruction of Carthage by Rome following the last Punic War. This edition contains a number of accompanying essays by historians which put Hanno's work into historical perspective. They include a chronological account of Carthage's rise and fall, a description of the route taken by Hanno, a detailed account of the city of Carthage and its population, empire, and trading partners-and its ultimately fateful interaction with the Africans. This is a highly satisfying work of a long-hidden historical period, now completely reset and illustrated. The Voyage of Hanno; King of the Carthaginians; The Geography of the Voyage of Hanno; Editions of The Periplus of Hanno; Carthaginian Chronology; The "Burning Country"; Carthage and the Carthaginian; Phœnicians and Carthaginians; The Dominion of Carthage; The Negritos; Pygmies; Carthaginian Trading

Genres: History, Africa

38 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 501

Reviews

[Jayden Wu · Rating 5 out of 5]

A pretty short read. It’s interesting to see the perspective of an ancient explorer/colonizer. While not entirely accurate, I think it shows how alien Africa was to the early Europeans. It’s funny to know that someone mistook gorillas for big silent humans at one point in history.

[Christina Bagni]

Mostly just a zoomed-out record of where they went and when, but it's fascinating to hear how casually he writes about setting up cities along the west African coast. A highlight is the discovery of gorillas, which he seems to think are a variant of humans. Quick and interesting read, and the earliest known account of an explorer. It makes one wonder how deeply this account affected the ancient Greek consciousness, in the way that stories like Lewis and Clark affect the modern American consciousness.

[Josiah Richardson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Only peripherally interesting.

[Tomás · Rating 3 out of 5]

portugueses stay winning fizemos melhor

[A. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Difficult to get a lot of information from this very short travelogue (18 paragraphs), but the fact that Hanno and his settlers travelled and established colonies on the shores of Morocco picked my interest - they reached apparently Sierra Leone and came back, having found difficulties.

Hanno talks about establishing new cities, namely Thymiaterium, Caricus Murus, Gytta, Acra, Melitta and Arambys. Of these last 5 the commentary says :

"The location of the five colonies mentioned in this paragraph is uncertain. Miiller places the first at the ruins of Agouz, 32 5 at the mouth of the Tensift River. The second perhaps at Mogador, 31° 30'. The third at Agadir, 30° 25'. The fourth at the mouth of the Messa River, 30° S'. The fifth, perhaps, at the mouth of the Gueder River, 29° 10', or at Araouas, 29°."

[Rita Vb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honestamente isto é uma leitura tão interessante e mais interessante ainda é o debate científico por detrás do manuscrito. Os ziguezagues que este texto enfrentou para conseguir chegar até nós são inacreditáveis e é um puro golpe de sorte termos posse disto na actualidade.

As questões que o Périplo levanta são muitas: o relato é falso? É verdadeiro? A expedição é verídica mas foi recontada tantas vezes que se tornou fantástica? Se a navegação aconteceu, até onde se estendeu verdadeiramente?

Tudo isto é especialmente interessante porque nunca teremos respostas definitivas.

O texto definitivamente permite-nos dar corda à nossa imaginação e é fascinante tentar conceber a época original da sua escrita.

[Seif · Rating 3 out of 5]

The actual translation of the periplus of Hanno is only 2 pages long. The rest is a commentary on the text, with explanations/theories on the different areas visited and people met.
Note that this was written more than 100 years ago, when Africa was still colonised.

You can find this book online if you search for "The Periplus of Hanno forgotten books"

[Cristobal Peña]

Somewhat interesting but very easy to read authentic ancient greek.