Phoenicians Discovery of America - More Evidence
Presented by:
Richard J. Karam, J.D.
Michel N. Laham, M.D.

Geologist Mark McMenamin of Holyoke College has recently joined ranks with other historians and scientists who are of the opinion that the seafaring Phoenicians of Carthage discovered America over 2000 years before Columbus. Although numerous people have been accredited with the discovery, the theories and evidence corroborating the Phoenician discovery seems to have the broadest support, at least in the number of disciplines and theories supporting the conclusion.

McMenamin bases his claim, announced in the November 1996 issue of Numismatist Magazine, on the computer- enhanced images of ancient Carthaginian gold coins called staters. The gold coins were produced by the Phoenicians of Carthage located on the north African Mediterranean coast (near present day Tunis) between 350 and 320 BC. Recall that Carthage became a domineering sea power after 600 BC and they ruled the seaways for centuries until their final defeat by the Romans in the last of three wars known as the Punic Wars. The Romans referred to the Phoenicians of Carthage as Punic, and hence the name Punic Wars. According to McMenamin, the tiny designs on the bottom of the coins contain a stylized map of the world as the Phoenicians knew it. Although the coins were discovered years ago, the markings found below the Punic horse presented problems for numismatist who attempted to decipher and explain its meaning.

Carthaginian Stater (1-1/4 Shekel)
(Obverse = Tanit; Reverse = Punic Horse)

McMenamin resolved the mystery by explaining that the inscription is actually a schematic map of the Mediterranean region and beyond. He explains that the pattern represents the Mediterranean basin, with the right edge reflecting the Levant coast of the Phoenician homeland. The lower edge represents the north coast of Africa. The lower left corner narrows to a point representing the Strait of Gibraltar, and the top edge represents the coast of Europe, from southern Spain to east of Italy. The image to the right represents India with England and Ireland appearing as small protrusions to the north of the Iberian peninsula. The central dot on the coins as well as other Phoenician maps, represents the island of Sardinia, which is most prominent and a constant feature of all the maps reviewed. This is a reflection of the fact that Sardinia was the key factor for centuries in Carthaginian domination of the western basin of the Mediterranean. But of compelling significance, according to McMenamin, is the landmass portrayed to the west of the Iberian peninsula. This land mass is seen on other Punic coins and maps. Since, as McMenamin states, "The Phoenicians, and especially the Carthaginians, were known throughout the ancient world for their prowess as navigators and seamen, the intriguing possibility exists that the land mass portrayed to the west of Spain represents an area in the Americans, perhaps the coast of Brazil".

The similarity of the map on the staters and other Phoenician coins, as well as on an ancient Carthaginian map, leads to the conclusion that the Phoenicians were the first to discover the new world.