Calendar of Events for the months of:
All presenters will speak during the midday break for ariston (lunch).
We have two topics for this month: the land and culture of Libya (Africa), our neighbor to the south, and the topic of romance.
Day 1: Danel of Tingis (Tangier) in Mauritania will discuss the exciting Phoenician and Carthaginian explorations of Libya (Africa). In their search for various metals, the iron-using Phoenicians have explored the coast of Africa since about 1000 BC. The early Phoenicians found north Africa to be inhabited by a bronze-using, agricultural and pastoral people, the Berbers. The Berber language is vaguely related to the language of the Phoenicians and Egyptians (and is part of the Afroasiatic or Hamito-Semitic family). The Phoenicians promptly established colonies in north Africa, the most noted being Carthage. Carthage became known for its tropical products and items that come from the interior of Africa. South of the Mediterranean coast, there is a large desert known as the Sahara. Berbers living in one oasis trade with Berbers living in another oasis until products south of the Sahara make their way up to Carthage. Salt, cloth, beads, and metal from north Africa are then traded for West African gold, copper, and ivory. Cattle, donkeys, and horses are used as pack animals. Under the influence of Carthage, additional trading networks developed. The Garamantes, who live almost due south of Carthage, use two-wheeled horse-drawn chariots to transport goods to the north. A western route was established by other groups. Although the land is continuing to get drier every year, the area is wet enough to allow chariots to traverse across the land. Some day the land may be too dry to even allow that. Then, trade may have to depend on desert animals. Perhaps the camel from Arabia and Egypt might be suitable.
In addition to inspiring trade, Carthage became a base for further explorations. Around 500 BC, Hanno of Carthage set sail with a fleet of perhaps 60 ships to explore the coast of Libya (Africa) and to establish additional colonies. Each ship was filled with provisions and colonists, both men and women, and was powered by fifty oarsmen and large, square sails dyed with Tyrian purple. Two days beyond the Pillars of Herakles they established their first colony, Thymaterium [now Kenitra, Morocco]. Other colonies were established further south, including Cariconticos, Gytte, Acra, Melita, and Arambys. Somewhere to the south they found a group of shepherds, who they called "Lixites". Several of the Lixites joined the expedition as interpreters. The people of this area speak languages that are somewhat similar to Berber and Egyptian (Afroasiatic languages). South of this area, the people speak very different sounding languages (from the Niger Congo family). So the Lixites were very welcome as interpreters. Finally, the expedition founded the colony of Cerne on a small island off the Mauritanian coast (south of Cape Blanc). Cerne was the southernmost colony the Phoenicians founded. The Hanno expedition continued further south. They passed into a land burning with fire and filled with streams of fire. Four days later they saw a country filled with fire at night. In the center of the land they could see a blaze on a giant mountain that seemed to reach the stars. They called the mountain the "Chariot of the Gods". South of that, they landed at an island by a large bay (in Sierra Leone). There they saw what they described as hairy women. The interpreters called them "gorillas". They killed three and skinned them. Then, having run out of provisions, they returned home to Carthage.
Danel of Tingis will also discuss the accounts of a Phoenician expedition in 600 BC to circumnavigate Libya (Africa). The expedition was sponsored by the Egyptian king, Necho. The Phoenicians had vast sailing experience and superior ships. Their long and narrow ships were easier to maneuver and were faster than other vessels. The Phoenician expedition began in the Red Sea and headed down through the Southern or Erythraean Sea (the Indian Ocean). When autumn came, the crew went ashore, planted grain, harvested it, and then set sail again. After three years, they headed east through the Pillars of Herakles. Since then, many have made their way down as far south as the great marketplace at Rhapta (Tanzania) but the circumnavigation of Libya (Africa) is a very difficult undertaking. Other explorers, such as the Greek Eudoxos of Kyzikos (120 BC), have not been able to repeat the trip.
Day 8: Netekamani of Massawa will describe the culture of Meroe, which lies well south of Egypt. Originally, the people of Meroe borrowed heavily from the Egyptians. The royal court spoke the Egyptian language, wrote in Egyptian hieroglyphs, worshipped Egyptian gods and built pyramids for their rulers. Over time, the culture of Meroe became more distinctive. A new language, Meroitic, replaced Egyptian, and a new alphabetic-type script was developed. Tropical animals, such as the lion, ostrich, giraffe, and elephant, came to dominate their art. Two styles of pottery have been developed. The painted luxury ware is made on a potter's wheel and is influenced by Egyptian styles. The unique domestic ware is based on earlier Nubian traditions and is handmade. Meroe merchants export ivory, leopard skins, ostrich feathers, ebony, and gold. Through Massawa and other trading ports on the Red Sea their traders have access to goods from India and other distant countries in the east. Meanwhile, the common people herd cattle and grow tropical cereals. Come and learn more about this distinctive culture and see examples of their artwork, pottery, and trade goods. After the lecture, you may walk to an enclosure where Netekamani will display a live leopard, ostrich, giraffe, and elephant. Don't get too close to the leopard! Children must be accompanied by an adult.
Day 15: With the recently written Periplus of the Erythraean Sea as our guide (written in 60 AD), Anaximandros of Berenike will take us on a travelogue down the Erythraean Sea to distant Rhapta. The trip will begin in a port on the Red Sea. One such port is Myos Hormus, just south of the Sinai. Another is Berenike, east of Egyptian Syene. Massawa, south of Egypt, is a port used by the people of Meroe. From this port one can trade for ivory, leopard skins, ostrich feathers, ebony, and gold. The port at Adulis in Axum exports ivory, rhinoceros horn, tortoise-shell, obsidian, and aromatic resins. Further south, there are trading posts at Avalites, Malao, Mosyllon, Opone, Sarapion, and Nikon. Many of the people in these areas speak languages that are distantly related to Berber and Egyptian. In the interior, the people grow interesting crops, such as tef, a small-seeded cereal, noog, an oil plant, and enset, a starchy, fibrous plant. Millet is grown in the south. Other groups herd cattle, sheep, and goats. If you are adventurous, you can try the local foods in some of the coastal ports. South of this area, is the great marketplace at Rhapta. Greek and Roman merchants come to buy ivory and other exotic products. The native people are herders. They speak interesting click (Khoisan) languages that are unlike anything heard of in the Mediterranean. There are tales of a group of iron-using herders and farmers moving in from the west (the Bantu speakers) but they have not yet arrived.
Day 22: This month will end with the performance of a play that deals with romantic love. The Berean Players will present Euripides' famous Andromeda, where Perseos saves the life of Andromeda out of a sense of romantic love.
Sources:
Ancient Greek Literature, K. J. Dover (ed.), New York: Oxford University Press, 1980.
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations.
Classical Drama: Greek and Roman, Meyer Reinhold, New York: Barron's Educational Series, Inc., 1959.
Explorers of the Ancient World, Charnan Simon, Chicago: Children's Press, 1990.
Historical Atlas of the Classical World: 500 BC to AD 600, John Haywood, New York: Barnes and Noble Books, 1998, 2000.
History of Africa, Kevin Shillington, New York: St. Martin's Press, 1989, 1995.
Norton Book of Classical Literature, Bernard Knox (ed.), New York: W. W. Norton & Co., 1993.
Penguin Encyclopedia of Ancient Civilizations, Arthur Cotterell (ed.), New York: Penguin Books, 1980, 1988.
The Phoenicians, Sabatino Moscati (ed.), New York: Rizzoli International Publications, Inc., 1988, 1999.
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