Hanno the Navigator

Lore & Background

Hanno the Navigator is believed to have been a member of the aristocratic Magonid family, and R.C.C. Law identifies him as the son of Hamilcar I. Ancient texts refer to him variously as a king, dux (leader), or imperator (commander), and the Greek translation of his periplus calls him a basileus, a term that could mean 'king' or refer to a high-level Carthaginian official. The consensus of scholarship places him in the 5th century BC.

Hanno's account, the Periplus, was originally written in Punic but has been lost; only Greek-language manuscripts survive, first translated in the fifth century and abridged to 101 lines. These manuscripts were copied several times, with two extant versions dating to the 9th and 14th centuries. Conrad Gessner produced the first Latin translation in 1559. Despite contradictions and errors, the periplus is considered the nearest surviving specimen of Carthaginian literature.

According to the periplus, Hanno led a fleet of 60 ships with 30,000 people (though some sources suggest 5,000) to found cities along the African coast. He sailed west from Carthage through the Strait of Gibraltar, founding or repopulating seven colonies along the coast of modern Morocco. He then continued south, encountering various indigenous peoples, including the Lixitae and Ethiopians. The expedition reached a bay called the 'Horn of the South,' where they encountered hairy, savage people called Gorillai, three of whom were killed and their skins brought back to Carthage. The periplus ends abruptly without describing the return journey.

Reader's Guide

Hanno the Navigator's significance lies primarily in his periplus, which provides a rare firsthand account of ancient exploration along the West African coast. The expedition's motivations likely included securing the gold trade route to West Africa, a vital foundation of the Carthaginian empire from the fifth century BC. Historians have debated the extent of Hanno's voyage: some modern analyses suggest he reached as far south as Gabon, while others argue he could not have sailed much farther than coastal southern Morocco. The vagueness of the periplus has led to estimates ranging from under 1,100 kilometers to at least 4,800 kilometers. Some scholars, like Donald Harden, report a consensus that the expedition reached at least Senegal, while others, like Raymond Mauny, argue that ancient navigators could not have sailed much farther than Cape Bojador. The gorilla species was scientifically named after Hanno's Gorillai in 1847, though the authors did not affirmatively identify them as the same animal. The periplus remains a key source for understanding Carthaginian exploration and the challenges of reconstructing ancient voyages.

Did You Know?

• Hanno's periplus is one of the few extant accounts of ancient exploration penned by the explorer himself, though the original Punic version is lost.
• The gorilla species was named after the Gorillai described in Hanno's periplus, though the naming authors did not affirmatively identify them as the same animal.
• The skins of three Gorillai were kept in the Temple of Juno (Tanit or Astarte) in Carthage and, according to Pliny the Elder, survived until the Roman destruction of Carthage in 146 BC.
• Some scholars believe the original periplus was edited by Carthaginians to protect trade secrets, making it difficult for other countries to identify the places described.