A Voyage of Discovery down the West African Coast by a Carthaginian Admiral of the Fifth Century B.C. By Hanno. Translated by Wilfred H. Schoff, A.M. 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 B.C. 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 B.C., 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
