Egyptian Circumnavigation of Africa ~600 BC
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Re: Egyptian Circumnavigation of Africa ~600 BC
#2The ancient Egyptian (or Persians?) built a Suez canal predecessor? Incredible. Is it a tourist attraction? And imagine building it only to realize that the surface height of the sea and the Nile don't match. Oops!
Also I like that the parts of the circumnavigation tale that Herotodus thought unbelievable (sun on the "wrong" side) actually now make it more clearly true and not just another of Herotodus's exaggerations.
Re: Egyptian Circumnavigation of Africa ~600 BC
#3I'm blown away that the Phoenicians (w/ Egyptians) circumnavigated Africa in 600BC and ... during 2000 years, it was assumed that it was a legend, until being proved otherwise only in 1488 - just a few years before America was (officially) discovered.
Re: Egyptian Circumnavigation of Africa ~600 BC
#4The ancient Egyptian (or Persians?) built a Suez canal predecessor? Incredible. Is it a tourist attraction? And imagine building it only to realize that the surface height of the sea and the Nile don't match. Oops! Also I like that the parts of the circumnavigation tale that Herotodus thought unbelievable (sun on the "wrong" side) actually now make it more clearly true and not just another of Herotodus's exaggeration…
Egyptian rulers of the Middle Kingdom, New Kingdom, Persians, Greeks, (probably) Romans, and Fatimids all dug or redug (and probably used, at least briefly) a canal or canals from the Nile to the Great Bitter Lakes and Red Sea. The Ptolemaic version even apparently had a lock to prevent salt water intrusion. It went in and out of service (depending mostly, it seems, on ability to maintain it) until it was closed 767 for political reasons.
It seems to have been easier to create, as the Red Sea was closer, but hard to keep open due to silt from the Nile.
I don't think it looks like much now, as I'm unable to find any photos of it. The physical remains were unknown until discovered by Napoleon's expedition, so it's probably been quite swallowed by the desert save for archaeological traces.
Re: Egyptian Circumnavigation of Africa ~600 BC
#5This is just Herodotus' account. I don't see any new evidence here.
Re: Egyptian Circumnavigation of Africa ~600 BC
#6This is just Herodotus' well known account right? I don't see any new evidence here, only an informed guess "reconstruction" of what the trip would have been like.
Re: Egyptian Circumnavigation of Africa ~600 BC
#7⊙﹏⊙ that must have been a remarkable journey!
Re: Egyptian Circumnavigation of Africa ~600 BC
#8I'm blown away that the Phoenicians (w/ Egyptians) circumnavigated Africa in 600BC and ... during 2000 years, it was assumed that it was a legend, until being proved otherwise only in 1488 - just a few years before America was (officially) discovered.
I’m not convinced they did. Not only is this an account by a notorious “liar” (as herodotus is known) but the Egyptians were notoriously bad at sailing due to being spoiled by the Nile. When they travelled in the Red Sea they famously hugged the coast stopping at sundown and they hardly ever went far out on the Mediterranean.
Re: Egyptian Circumnavigation of Africa ~600 BC
#9The ancient Egyptian (or Persians?) built a Suez canal predecessor? Incredible. Is it a tourist attraction? And imagine building it only to realize that the surface height of the sea and the Nile don't match. Oops! Also I like that the parts of the circumnavigation tale that Herotodus thought unbelievable (sun on the "wrong" side) actually now make it more clearly true and not just another of Herotodus's exaggeration…
Re: Egyptian Circumnavigation of Africa ~600 BC
#10It's unlikely those camps left behind any identifiable evidence, but wouldn't that be amazing? Makes me wonder if there are any identifiable characteristics of 600 BC Mediterranean grains that might be found out of place in South Africa.