Storiascopio · Era 4 of 12 · primary year 4
Sailing beyond Gibraltar
about 500 BC · Strait of Gibraltar and the Atlantic
In short
For the ancients, the ‘Pillars of Hercules’, the Strait of Gibraltar, marked the edge of the known world. But sailors from Carthage went beyond them: according to an ancient account, Hanno sailed down the coast of West Africa with a large fleet. Another Carthaginian captain, Himilco, pushed north along the Atlantic coasts of Europe, perhaps in search of tin. Long before that, the Phoenicians had founded Gadir, today's Cádiz, facing the ocean.
Why it matters They were among the first to take on the open ocean, almost two thousand years before the great voyages of exploration.
Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Hanno”
Where we are in the era “Sea civilisations”
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about 2000 BCEvent 25 of 25about 500 BC
Your turn
Name ______________________ Class ______ Date __________
When did it happen? Find the date at the top and write it here:
Tell it in your own words: what happened?
Draw the scene below.
storiascopio.com/en/event/sailing-beyond-gibraltar/ · free worksheet, you may photocopy it for your class