VL] EXPEDITION OF HIMILCO. 109

advance, the reason being, Hanno tells us, that their stock of
provisions failed them. It was also the furthest point reached by
any ancient navigator. We may remark in corroboration of the
views that are here expressed as to the position of the places
named in the JPerfy/us, that the distances between them cor-
respond in the main to those which are there assigned to them.
It is an interesting question whether Herodotus was acquainted
with Hanno's expedition. There is no difficulty in the way of the
supposition on the ground of their respective dates, and certain
points which the historian mentions, especially the description of
"dumb commerce" which has been given above3, may not im-
probably have been derived from this source. At the same time
it must be allowed that such information may have been obtained
through earlier visits of the Carthaginian traders.

The second of the two great Carthaginian expeditions was that
which was sent forth under the command of
Himilco, Pliny informs us that this took place JwŁ$^*
at the same time as that of Hanno, and that its
object was to explore the western coast of Europe2; but it must
have fallen strangely into oblivion, for this is the only notice of it
that occurs until quite a late period of literature, though some of
the observations on the wonders of the open ocean that were
made in the course of it are shewn to have obtained a wide
circulation from the mention of them in various writers. Possibly
this forgetfulness may have been due to the greater fame of the
subsequent voyage of Pytheas in the same direction, which
eclipsed the achievements of the earlier navigator. As it is, the
only information which we possess concerning it The'Ora
is derived from Avienus, a Latin author of the Maiitima'of
fourth century of our era, who in his geographical
poem entitled Ora Maritima bases a number of his statements
and descriptions on the narrative of Himilco, whom he mentions
by name. This narrative, we may reasonably suppose, was

1 v. sujra, p. 95.
a JR. N.i i. 169; Et Hanno Carthaginis potentia florente circumvcctas a
Gadibus ad finem Arabiae navigationem earn prodidit scripto, siciit ad cxtera
Europae noscenda missus eodem tempore Himilco.