the vast continent of Africa. The waters were
unknown, and the dangers were many. The
Phoenicians set sail, and after enduring an epic
voyage that lasted three years, they completed
the first circumnavigation of Africa.
But did they really do it? Even
Herodotus, the famous Greek historian who
tells of the feat, doubted that it was possible.
For almost 3,000 years the question has
remained: could the ancient Phoenicians really
have made that great voyage around the coast of
Africa? One man was determined to find out.
Captain Philip Beale, who served in the
British navy, is a noted sailor and adventurer.
He took on the challenge of proving that it was
possible for the Phoenicians to have made their
famous circumnavigation of Africa. The first
step was to build an authentic replica of an
ancient Phoenician ship. With the help of
archaeologists, who studied ancient shipwrecks
and artefacts, the design of the ship was formed.
The ship was built in the ancient Phoenician
city of Arwad, on the Syrian coast. The shipbuilders came from a family that has been
making wooden vessels in Arwad for
generations, and are proud of their own
Phoenician ancestry. They used traditional
materials and techniques to build the ship,
which was named the Phoenicia.
Captain Beale assembled a crew of
volunteers of many nationalities to sail the 21
metre vessel. The ship was launched from
Building the Phoenicia