The Periplus of Hanno a Voyage of Discovery Down the West African
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THE PERI PLU S O F HANN O A V OYAGE O F DISCOVERY D W THE W T AFRI CAN A T O N ES CO S , BY A CARTHAGINIAN ADMI RAL RY B OF THE FI FTH CENTU . C . TRANSLAT ED FRO M THE GREEK QB'Y A . M . R . G WILF ED H ' HOFF, eawa ' t/c mmonia'Muc um lziladel lzia S y) Qf e Ca , P p ’ H it/i explanatory passagf: q uotedfrom numerous autfiorx PHILADELPHIA PU BLISH ED BY THE CO MMERCIAL MUSEUM 1 9 1 2 TH E V YA A K O GE O F H NNO , ING OF THE CARTHAGINIANS a re ions be ond il o f u To the Liby n g of the earth y the P l ars Herc les, whic h d di a d o f aa f he e c te also in the Temple B l, a fixing this 1 . It pleased the Carthagin ian s that Hanno s hould voy ou s id the P l s of u s and f u i i age t e i lar H erc le , o nd c t es of the Lib hcenic ia yp ns . And he s et forth with s ix ty ships of fifty o s and m u ud m en and m to um ar , a ltit e of wo en , the n ber of i ou d and i t an o v th rty th san , w th whea d other pr ision s . A 2 . fter pas sing through the Pillars we went on and s i d for o u d f u d d a le two j rney beyon , where we o n e the d Th m iaterium it in m first city, which we calle y ; lay the idst of a great plain . 3 . i d m So lo is Sail ng thence towar the west we ca e to , a m o f L pro ontory ibya , bristling with trees . 4 . i s et u u d Hav ng p an altar here to Nept ne , we procee ed i i d th e da u aga n , go ng towar east for half the y, ntil we reached m n m s ea a arsh lyi g no great way fro the , thickly grown with o and wild s tall reeds . Here als were elephants other bea ts i d in um . fee ng, great n bers ’ 5 . o d m d u s t d G ing beyon the arsh a ay s jo rney , we et le i s the s ea i d Caric us Mu u G tta A c tie by , wh ch we calle r s , y , cra, Melitt a and Aram bys . Lix us iv 6 . ii m to Sa l ng thence we ca e the , a great r er Lix it o i m Li . B it d ae fl w ng fro bya y a wan ering people , the , were pas turing their flocks ; with whom we rem ained som e im o m i i d . t e , bec ng fr en s d u i d JEthio ians d 7 . A o s b ve the e folk live nfr en ly p , welling c n u o f id s s and u o fi m u i a land f ll w l bea t , sh t by great o ntain s , sa Lix us s and m u i s from which they y the flow , on the o nta n o f o u v - d e s s o Lix ita: live m en vari s shapes , ca e well r , who , the s a o f . y, are fleeter foot than horses 1 8 . i e f m d v Taking nterpr ters rom the , we saile twel e d d s u d u i d ays towar the o th along a esert, t rn ng thence towar ’ d s . s the east one ay sail T here , within the reces of a bay we u d m d u o f fo n a s all islan , having a circ it fifteen stadia ; which d and d it . m o ur u u we settle , calle Cerne Fro jo rney we j dged it to be situated opposite Carthage ; for the voyage from Car tha e P and h m g to the illars t ence to Cerne was the sa e . 9. i Thence , sailing by a great r ver whose nam e was hretes m had i d C , we ca e to a lake , which three slan s , larger ’ . Ru d s s i d s we am than Cerne nning a ay a l beyon the e, c e to end o f i m u ta the the lake, above wh ch rose great o n ins , peo d m en i i s o f id ple by savage wear ng sk n w l beasts , who threw us and d us m d m our s stones at prevente fro lan ing fro hips . 1 0 . m o Sailing thence, we ca e to an ther river , very great and d was u di s and m broa , which f ll of croco le hippopota i . u d u and to And then we t rne abo t went back Cerne . ll. i d o d s uh d Thence we sa le t war the o t twelve ays , fol h d ZEthio ians fled lowi ng the shore , whic was people by p who from us and would not wait . And their speech the Lix ita who were with us could not understand. But da m d dm u ai . 12. on the last y we ca e to great woo e o nt ns was and i u d . The wood of the trees fragrant, of var o s kin s u d m u d m 13 . Sailing aro n these o ntain s for two ays , we ca e m the s ea m i d to an im ense opening of , fro e ther si e of which there was level ground i nland; from which at night we saw i i u d . fire leaping p on every s e at ntervals , now greater, now less in we d 14 . Hav ing taken water there, saile along the u m ha i our shore for five days , ntil we ca e to a great y, wh ch w ed W interpreters said as call Horn of the est . In it there d and is d of s ea in was a large islan , within the lan a lake the , L which there was another is land. anding there during the s aw but f s but i h m un day , we nothing ore ts , by n g t any b r ing n d the s u d o f e and m and fires , a d we hear o n pip s cy bals , the nois of u dr m s and u o . T oss s s e a great pr ar hen fear p e ed us, and s oo hs m m d d us to the t ayers co an e leave the is land. 1 5 . And ui o we s s then q ckly sailing f rth , pa ed by a burn in ou fu of f om g c ntry ll fragrance, r which great to rrents of fire o But fl wed do wn to the s ea. the land c ould not be com e at for the heat . 16 . And s d a i s d we aile long w th all pee , being s tricken by a . A u o f u d s s aw fe r fter a jo rney fo r ay , we the land at night ov An in m c ered with flam es . d the ids t there was one lofty fire s m d ou s , greater than the re t , which see e to t ch the tars . B da is was n i m ou y y th see to be a very h gh ntain , called C hariot of the Gods . 17 . s i n ao s T hence , a li g l ng by the fiery torrent for three d s m to d u . ay , we ca e a bay, calle Horn of the So th 1 8 . s of s ba was is d I n the reces thi y there an lan , like the fo m one in was i d r er , hav ing a lake , which there another slan , in fu o f s m en. T m ll avage here were wo en , too , even greater i o i and a um . had r d n ber They ha y b es , the interpreters c lled W u s u d m u them Gorillas . hen we p r e the we were nable to of the m en for s d m take any ; they all e cape , by cli bing the s teep places and defending them s elves with s tones ; but we o f o m and d i d too k three the w en , who bit scratche the r lea ers , l d m and d m o w us .