Hanno’s Periplus

Record summary

The Periplus of Hanno survives in a Greek epitome describing a Carthaginian expedition along the Atlantic coast of Africa, with settlements, animals, smoke, and encounters with peoples. Researchers compare its route descriptions with coastal geography, sailing limits, and Punic expansion, while debating how far south the expedition traveled. The surviving text is transmitted through later Greek literary tradition, and translation choices affect interpretation of locations and ethnonyms. It is therefore a textual lead for ancient maritime exploration, not a directly preserved shipboard journal.