Rewriting History- The Phoenician Expedition
by Business Wire on 21 Jul 2008
Phoenicia launched SW
In H.G. Wells’ The Time Machine, history is altered by a scientist who seeks his own epic adventure, traveling through time. Similarly, a group of present-day adventurers are seeking to rewrite history through their own amazing journey.
The Phoenicia Expedition will circumnavigate Africa in an attempt to prove that the Phoenicians were the first people to conquer such a feat. Led by businessman and adventurer Philip Beale, the expedition will recreate the voyage of a 600 B.C. Phoenician vessel, a modern day 'time machine' that will sail some of the world’s most dangerous waters.
'It has been the popular belief for hundreds of years that noted Portuguese explorer Bartholomeu Dias was first to sail around Africa in 1488,' says Phoenicia’s artist-in-residence Danielle Eubank. 'However, archaeological findings suggest that the Phoenicians had the sailing technology to travel the same route nearly 2000 years before. We’d like to prove that such a trip was possible by sailing a replica of a Phoenician ship.'
August 1 marks the beginning of a 17,000-mile journey that includes 20 crewmembers from across the globe. The voyage will begin in Syria, take the crew around the Cape of Good Hope - one of the most treacherous passages in the world, and will end in the Mediterranean Sea.
Philip Beale has previous experience with such a journey. In 2003, he set sail aboard the Borobudur, a recreation of another historical voyage from Indonesia to Africa. Beale has used his enthusiasm to inspire his crewmembers and encourage businesses to sponsor the trip. However, it is the quest for historical truth that drives the voyage forward.
In an effort to record this epic voyage, Beale chose Eubank to document the expedition through her art. Eubank believes that the expedition will debunk theories of Spanish conquest, much like Christopher Columbus’ voyage was proven to be preempted by the Vikings nearly 500 years before.
For more information about the Phoenicia Expedition, please visit www.phoenicia.org.uk
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