7th century BCE – 6th century BCE
Red Sea, African coast and Mediterranean
Necho II’s African coastal expedition is the reported voyage in which Phoenician sailors were ordered to sail from the Red Sea around Libya and return through the Straits of Gibraltar. Herodotus describes a three-year journey involving seasonal landings and cultivation. The extract notes that Libya meant the African continent in this account, but stresses that the voyage’s historicity remains disputed. Some scholars accept the report, while others reject or reinterpret the alleged circumnavigation.
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The Story
Late in the line of Egyptian pharaohs, Necho II is associated with a naval exploration of the African coasts. The expedition is known through Herodotus, who describes Phoenicians sailing from the Red Sea, passing along the southern and northern seas, and returning to Egypt through the Straits of Gibraltar. In the geographical language of the account, “Libya” signifies the whole African continent.
The voyage was organized after the completion of a canal leading from the Nile toward the Arabian Gulf. The sailors were instructed to continue westward until they reached the Pillars of Heracles, identified in the extract with the Straits of Gibraltar. They allegedly spent two years making seasonal landfalls, sowing and harvesting crops before continuing their passage.
Herodotus reports that the sailors claimed to have seen the sun on their right while sailing around Libya. The extract presents this detail as a point that some readers may believe but that Herodotus himself did not accept. This unusual observation has contributed to the continuing debate over whether the story preserves a genuine circumnavigation or reflects another kind of voyage or narrative construction.
The historical status of the expedition remains unresolved. J. Yoyotte is cited as accepting the authenticity of the tale and the events it describes, whereas other researchers contest the account from beginning to end or explain it differently. The extract compares this disagreement with debates surrounding the voyage of Hannon and concludes that the scholarly controversy was still active.
7th century BCE – 6th century BCE
Red Sea, African coast and Mediterranean
Necho II’s African coastal expedition is the reported voyage in which Phoenician sailors were ordered to sail from the Red Sea around Libya and return through the Straits of Gibraltar. Herodotus describes a three-year journey involving seasonal landings and cultivation. The extract notes that Libya meant the African continent in this account, but stresses that the voyage’s historicity remains disputed. Some scholars accept the report, while others reject or reinterpret the alleged circumnavigation.
Continue exploring
The Story
Late in the line of Egyptian pharaohs, Necho II is associated with a naval exploration of the African coasts. The expedition is known through Herodotus, who describes Phoenicians sailing from the Red Sea, passing along the southern and northern seas, and returning to Egypt through the Straits of Gibraltar. In the geographical language of the account, “Libya” signifies the whole African continent.
The voyage was organized after the completion of a canal leading from the Nile toward the Arabian Gulf. The sailors were instructed to continue westward until they reached the Pillars of Heracles, identified in the extract with the Straits of Gibraltar. They allegedly spent two years making seasonal landfalls, sowing and harvesting crops before continuing their passage.
Herodotus reports that the sailors claimed to have seen the sun on their right while sailing around Libya. The extract presents this detail as a point that some readers may believe but that Herodotus himself did not accept. This unusual observation has contributed to the continuing debate over whether the story preserves a genuine circumnavigation or reflects another kind of voyage or narrative construction.
The historical status of the expedition remains unresolved. J. Yoyotte is cited as accepting the authenticity of the tale and the events it describes, whereas other researchers contest the account from beginning to end or explain it differently. The extract compares this disagreement with debates surrounding the voyage of Hannon and concludes that the scholarly controversy was still active.