How Wide Spans the Ocean Sea

Phoenician cargo ship 

Courtesy: https://wikis.engrade.com/phoenicianships 

My fourth chapter deals with the issue of the dimensions of the ocean and the perspectives of navigation in the Atlantic. 

I describe the voyages of ancient explorers from Egypt to West Africa (Sataspes, Hanno the Navigator) and from India to East Africa (Scylax).

I also recount the views on crossing the Atlantic expressed by philosophers (Aristotle, Eratosthenes, Posidonius, Strabo, Seneca, Pierre d'Ailly), mapmakers (Henricus Martellus, Martin Behaim), and navigators (Christopher Columbus).  The chapter is accompanied by the table, Estimation of the Breadth of the Ocean Sea.

This is an extract which refers to the voyage across Africa carried out by Phoenician mariners in the time of Pharaoh Necho:

The first expedition, commissioned by Pharaoh Necho, who reigned at the turn of the seventh and sixth centuries BCE, set a task of exploring the confines of the Dark Continent. The Phoenician mariners, who had staunch reputation for their seamanship, departed from a port on the Red Sea and after rounding the dry land made a return trip to Egypt via the Strait of Gibraltar. The food supply on board was enough for one year. To avoid starvation, the sailors had to rest on their oars twice to sow a crop of corn. Having picked up the harvest, they were able to move on forward until by the third year they had completed their heroic undertaking. The most intriguing part of the report was the observation of the sun traveling through the north across the right-left arc. The father of history slammed this testimony as too weird for his straightforward taste. (1)

This account suffers from many blunders. Since Herodotus does not allude to the source of this report, we cannot determine its trustworthiness. It is not clear what compelled the Egyptian monarch to launch this suicidal enterprise and why the Greek historian shares the pharaoh’s conviction in the possibility of the circumnavigation of Africa.

Besides, the modern reconstruction of Herodotus’ world view reveals that the “father of history” had a vague concept of the outline of the Dark Continent. Its southern fringe rounds the Atlas Mountains and stretches as far as the mouth of the Red Sea. Even this fictional voyage across the curtailed continent lasted nearly three years, demanding two landfalls and a lengthy lingering on the coast. 

Image 12: Reconstruction of Herodotus’ World View (2)  

The renowned author refuses to figure out the logistics involved in such venture. His description is too matter-of-fact and humdrum to be true. He neither explains how Phoenician ships could withstand daily tackling with unknown coastal currents and winds nor how they were able to overcome the solitude of a never ending voyage. He doesn’t report of their encounter with the natives and bizarre wildlife at sea or on land. He does not refer to any confrontation between the representatives of antagonistic cultures, though the temporary estrangement of agricultural land could not pass unnoticed by its lawful owners. Finally, except for the “perverted” sun, our historian finds no other remarkable astronomical phenomena in their account; and this particular scoop, proving that the explorers probably crossed the equator, he does deny.

Even the modern reconstruction of the journey does not supply any hard evidence. It is remarkable that a replica of a Phoenician ship rigged with a single square sail could withstand 20,000-mile voyage during two years. However, unlike ancient sailors, modern mariners knew their whereabouts and navigated their course, relying on the GPS and gleaning data from weather maps. They could sail all-year-round, even in winter, and consume foodstuffs purchased in local supermarkets. (3)