Robert Kerrs General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels, Volume 18 | Page 4

their territory by the Israelites under
Joshua, they still retained the city of Sidon; and from it their maritime
expeditions proceeded. The order of time in which they took place, as
well as their object and result, are very imperfectly known; it seems
certain, however, that they either regularly traded with, or formed
colonies or establishments for the purpose of trade at first in Cyprus
and Rhodes, and subsequently in Greece, Sicily, Sardinia, Gaul, and the
southern part of Spain. About 1250 years before Christ, the Phoenician
ships ventured beyond the Straits, entered the Atlantic, and founded
Cadiz. It is probable, also, that nearly about the same period they
formed establishments on the western coast of Africa. We have the
express authority of Homer, that at the Trojan war the Phoenicians
furnished other nations with many articles that could contribute to
luxury and magnificence; and Scripture informs us, that the ships of
Hyram, king of Tyre, brought gold to Solomon from Ophir. That they
traded to Britain for tin at so early a period as that which we are now
considering, will appear very doubtful, if the metal mentioned by
Moses, (Numbers, chap. xxxi. verse 22.) was really tin, and if Homer is
accurate in his statement that this metal was used at the siege of Troy;
for, certainly, at neither of these periods had the Phoenicians ventured
so far from their own country.
Hitherto we have spoken of Sidon as the great mart of Phoenician
commerce; at what period Tyre was built and superseded Sidon is not
known. In the time of Homer, Tyre is not even mentioned: but very
soon afterwards it is represented by Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the
other prophets, as a city of unrivalled trade and wealth. Ezekiel, who
prophesied about the year 595 B.C. has given a most picturesque
description of the wealth of Tyre, all of which must have proceeded
from her commerce, and consequently points out and proves its great
extent and importance. The fir-trees of Senir, the cedars of Lebanon,
the oaks of Bashan, the ivory of the Indies, the fine linen of Egypt, and
the hyacinth and purple of the isles of Elishah, are enumerated among

the articles used for their ships. Silver, tin, lead, and vessels of brass;
slaves, horses, and mules; carpets, ivory, and ebony; pearls and silk;
wheat, balm, honey, oil and gums; wine, and wool, and iron, are
enumerated as brought into the port of Tyre by sea, or to its fairs by
land, from Syria, Damascus, Greece, Arabia, and other places, the exact
site of which is not known.[1] Within the short period of fifteen or
twenty years after this description was written, Tyre was besieged by
Nebuchadnezzar; and after an obstinate and very protracted resistance,
it was taken and destroyed. The inhabitants, however, were enabled to
retire during the siege, with the greatest part of their property, to an
island near the shore, where they built New Tyre, which soon surpassed
the old city both in commerce and shipping.
A short time previous to the era generally assigned to the destruction of
old Tyre, the Phoenicians are said to have performed a voyage, which,
if authentic, may justly be regarded as the most important that the
annals of this people record: we allude to the circumnavigation of
Africa. As this voyage has given rise to much discussion, we may be
excused for deviating from the cursory and condensed character of this
part of our work, in order to investigate its probable authenticity. All
that we know regarding it is delivered to us by Herodotus; according to
this historian, soon after Nechos, king of Egypt, had finished the canal
that united the Nile and the Arabian Gulf, he sent some Phoenicians
from the borders of the Red Sea, with orders to keep always along the
coast of Africa, and to return by the pillars of Hercules into the
northern ocean. Accordingly the Phoenicians embarked on the
Erythrean Sea, and navigated in the southern ocean. When autumn
arrived, they landed on the part of Libya which they had reached, and
sowed corn; here they remained till harvest, reaped the corn, and then
re-embarked. In this manner they sailed for two years; in the third they
passed the pillars of Hercules, and returned to Egypt. They related that
in sailing round Libya, the sun was on their right hand. This relation,
continues Herodotus, seems incredible to me, but perhaps it will not
appear so to others. Before proceeding to an enquiry into the
authenticity of this maritime enterprize, it may be proper to explain
what is meant by the sun appearing on the right hand of the Phoenician
navigators. The apparent motion of the heavens being from east to west,
the west was regarded by the ancients as