REL 464 - The Inter-Testamental Era
Course Notes
Hannos' Voyage
Hanno the Navigator (6th-5th century BC, dates uncertain) was related to Hamilcar I of Carthage. The exact dates for Hanno the Navigator are disputed; he was probably either the son, or the father, of Hamilcar I.
In ca. 410 BC Hanno the Navigator led an expedition into the Atlantic to explore the west coast of Africa. He reported seeing an active volcano, and recorded observations of gorillas. He founded Carthaginian settlements in Morocco, Mauretania, and Senegal.
Upon his return, Hanno dedicated an inscription in one of the Carthaginian temples, describing his adventures. This was translated into Greek and copied several times. Two very late copies of the Greek text exist.
The Palatinus Graecus 398 manuscript dates to the 9th century and is in the Library of the University of Heidelberg. The Vatopedinus 655 manuscript dates to the 14th century, and is divided between the British Library in London and the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris.
Besides the copies of the translation of Hanno's account, there are reports by Greek and Roman historians who had seen and read earlier copies - these are in general agreement with the account given in the manuscripts.
The Greek translation was published in 1855 (Karl Müller (Geographi Graeci Minores, volume I; 1855 Paris; reprinted 1965 Hildesheim), and in 19979 (Jerker Blomqvist, The date and origin of the Greek version of Hanno's Periplus, 1979 Lund). It has also been discussed extensively in W. F. G. Lacroix' Africa in Antiquity. A linguistic and toponymic analysis of Ptolemy's map of Africa, Appendix 4 (1998 Saarbrücken).
An English translation of the Greek translation appears in several places on the web, and is generally derived from these sources.
The "Periplus" of Hanno:
"Record of the voyage of King Hanno of Carthage round the lands of Libya which lie beyond the Pillars of Hercules. It has been engraved on tablets hung up in the Temple of Chronos.
The Carthaginians decided that Hanno should go past the Pillars and found Carthaginian cities. He set sail with sixty pentekontas carrying thirty thousand men and women with provisions and other necessities. After passing the Pillars of Hercules and sailing for two days beyond them we founded the first city, which was named Thymiaterion. Around it was a large plain. Next we went on in a westerly direction and arrived at the Libyan promontory of Soloeis, which is covered with trees. Having set up a shrine to Poseidon, we set sail again towards the rising sun for half a day, after which we arrived at a lagoon close to the sea covered with many tall reeds. Elephants and large numbers of other animals were feeding on them. Leaving this lagoon and sailing for another day, we founded the coastal cities named Carian Wall, Gytte, Acra, Melitta and Arambys.
Leaving this place we arrived at the great river Lixos which comes from Libya. On the banks nomads, the Lixites, were feeding their flocks. We stayed for some time with these people and made friends with them. Upstream from them lived the unfriendly Ethiopians whose land is full of wild beasts and broken up by high mountains where they say the Lixos rises. They also say that about these mountains dwell the strange-looking Troglodytes. The Lixites claim that they can run faster than horses. Taking Lixite interpreters with us we sailed alongside the desert in a southerly direction for two days, then towards the rising sun for one more day. We then found at the far end of an inlet a little island five stades in circumference. We named it Cerne and left settlers there. Judging by our journey we reckoned that it must be opposite Carthage, since we had to sail the same distance from Carthage to the Pillars of Hercules as from the Pillars of Hercules to Cerne. From there, sailing up a big river named the Chretes, we arrived at a lake in which there were three islands, all larger than Cerne. Leaving these islands, we sailed for one day and came to the end of the lake, which was overshadowed by high mountains full of savages dressed in animal skins that threw stones at us and thus prevented us from landing. From there we entered another river, which was big and wide, full of crocodiles and hippopotamuses. Then we retraced our journey back to Cerne.
From there we sailed south along a coast entirely inhabited by Ethiopians, who fled at our approach. Their language was incomprehensible even to the Lixites, whom we had with us. On the last day we disembarked by some high mountains covered with trees with sweet-smelling multicolored wood. We sailed round these mountains for two days and arrived in a huge bay on the other side of which was a plain; there we saw fires breaking out at intervals on all sides at night, both great and small. Having renewed our water supplies, we continued our voyage along the coast for five days, after which we arrived at a huge inlet, which the interpreters called the Horn of the West. There was a big island in this gulf and in the island was a lagoon with another island. Having disembarked there, we could see nothing but forest by day ; but at night many fires were seen and we heard the sound of flutes and the beating of drums and tambourines, which made a great noise. We were struck with terror and our soothsayers bade us leave the island.
We left in haste and sailed along by a burning land full of perfumes. Streams of fire rose from it and plunged into the sea. The land was unapproachable because of the heat. Terror-stricken, we hastened away. During four days' sailing we saw at night that the land was covered with fire. In the middle was a high flame, higher than the others, which seemed to reach the stars. By day we realized that it was a very high mountain, named the Chariot of the Gods. Leaving this place, we sailed along the burning coast for three days and came to the gulf named the Horn of the South. At the end of it was an island like the first one, with a lake in which was another island full of savages. The greater parts of these were women. They had hairy bodies and the interpreters called them Gorillas. We pursued some of the males but we could not catch a single one because they were good climbers and they defended themselves fiercely. However, we managed to take three women. They bit and scratched their captors, whom they did not want to follow. We killed them and removed the skins to take back to Carthage. We sailed no further, being short of supplies."
Notes :
The title "King" (βασιλευς) given to Hanno in the Greek could also mean war-leader, ie. General or Commander. It was also used to denote the rank of Magistrate in Carthage
The "Pillars of Hercules" was the older name for the Straights of Gibraltar - connecting the Mediterranean Sea with the Atlantic Ocean.
The "Temple of Kronos" - Kronos (Time) was one of the early Greek gods. It was probably a Greek translation for the Canaanit/Phoenician god Baal
A penteconta was a ship with five banks of oars - large for that period.
Libyphoenicians referred to the Phoenician colonies in Libya/North Africa, ie. Carthage and others
"Thymiaterion" means "Altar of Incense". The probable site of the settlement is Mehidya, in Morocco.
The probable site of the colony of Melitta is Oualidda. The Greek writer Hacataeus of Milete (ca. 500 BC) mentions Melitta, so if Hanno founded the settlement his voyage must have been earlier; hence Hanno's voyage was probably in the sixth century BC).
The probable site of Arambys is the island of Mogador, where archaeologists have found remains of a Carthaginian settlement dating to the sixth century BC. The name Arambys is probably a Greek version of the Phoenician/Semitic Har Anbin (Grape Mountain).
The term "Ethiopian" was used for Africans with a dark complexion - it was not restricted to the population of what is now known as Ethiopia.
The "large river teeming with crocodiles and hippopotamuses" was probably the Senegal.
The active volcano, called "Chariot of the gods" was probably Mount Cameroun - even now known in the language of the region as "Seat of the gods".
The gorilla skins - The Roman author Pliny the Elder mentioned that the gorilla skins were shown in the Temple of the Carthaginian goddess Tanit up until the destruction of Carthage by the Romans.
Other evidence for Hanno's Voyage :
In the second century AD the Greek author Arrian of Nicomedia(Indike 43.11-12) wrote that
"Hanno left Carthage and sailed beyond the Pillars of Hercules on the Atlantic Ocean, keeping Libya (Africa) on his left hand. He sailed eastwards for thirty five days. But when he turned to the south, he encountered many problems: lack of water, burning heat and rivers of fire flowing into the sea."
Pliny the Elder (first century AD) (Natural History 2.169a) reported
"When the power of Carthage flourished, Hanno sailed round from Cádiz to the extremity of Arabia, and published a memoir of his voyage, as did Himilco when he was despatched at the same date to explore the outer coasts of Europe."
This puts the date of Hanno's voyage in the same time period of Himilco's, and also implies that Hanno continued his voyage to include rounding the Cape of Good Hope and sailing along the eastern shore of Africa as far as Arabia.
Copyright © 1999 Shirley J. Rollinson, all Rights Reserved
