Pantagathus Posted April 18, 2006 Report Share Posted April 18, 2006 Even though Hanno wanted to find Pygmies, this is what his local interpreters led him to as mentioned above. So, the greek translation of the original Punic inscription that was hung on a metal plate in the Temple of Cronos in Carthage gave us the word gorilla. It appears that the word gorilla (meaning the same today as it did to Hanno's african guide) is simply a transliteration of the original, aboriginal root word passed through subsequent semitic & indo-european translations. I know this is technically a necro post but as it was one that I participated in and have something further to add (after some recent reading), here goes: "Hanno's "Gorillas" cannot be what we know by that name; his men were tough, but they were not up to catching Gorillas, even females, alive. Chimpanzees or baboons are the best guess. It was an American missionary, Thomas Savage, who in 1847 applied Hanno's term to what we now call gorillas" - Lionel Casson, 'Where did the Ancient Traders Sail?', AHP Co. 1977 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLavius Valerius Constantinus Posted April 19, 2006 Report Share Posted April 19, 2006 (edited) When you hit a desert that even today is one of the most harshest and dealiest environment, you're bound to not even bother with it. And anyways, the Sahara makes it impossible for an army to sustain itself with only limited supplies. Edited April 19, 2006 by FLavius Valerius Constantinus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caldrail Posted April 29, 2006 Report Share Posted April 29, 2006 True, but the sahara is worse today than it was 2000 years ago. North africa back then had a slightly wetter climate that made it easier to irrigate and farm. A drier modern climate and the result of over-grazing by domestic animals has made it what it is today. Of course the desert interior was always as arid as we see it now, its just that the desert has grown in size since. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hannibal the Great Posted May 10, 2006 Report Share Posted May 10, 2006 Have any of you heard of the lost Carthaginean colony of Cerne and know where it is? I have some theories but want to test them againest others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pantagathus Posted May 11, 2006 Report Share Posted May 11, 2006 Have any of you heard of the lost Carthaginean colony of Cerne and know where it is? I have some theories but want to test them againest others. Every indication I've seen was that it was on a small island in the Senegal River delta. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hannibal the Great Posted May 11, 2006 Report Share Posted May 11, 2006 Well I've been doing research and personally I think it was the Azores because a document by Hanno the man who founded the colony said it was an equal distance from Cerne to the straits of Gibralter/Hercules as the straights to Carthage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pantagathus Posted May 16, 2006 Report Share Posted May 16, 2006 Well I've been doing research and personally I think it was the Azores because a document by Hanno the man who founded the colony said it was an equal distance from Cerne to the straits of Gibralter/Hercules as the straights to Carthage. Why does that have to make it the Azores? There are numerous locations that could fit that description. Also, if you are even remotely acquainted with pioneering ancient geographical itineraries by sail, even the experts (in astronomy & geography) could be quite inaccurate if weather hampered their speed or made the use of a gnomon impossible. Maybe, just maybe Kerne was on one of the Canaries but the Azores are way too far off the rest of Hanno Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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