land . ▁Its ▁original ity ▁can ▁be ▁seen ▁in ▁the ▁map ' s ▁ins cri ptions , ▁its ▁precise ▁orientation , ▁and ▁the ▁use ▁of ▁color . ▁ ▁Pho en ician ▁sail ors ▁made ▁major ▁adv ances ▁in ▁se af aring ▁and ▁expl oration . ▁The ▁first ▁circ umn avigation ▁of ▁Africa ▁was ▁undert aken ▁by ▁Pho en ician ▁expl or ers ▁employed ▁by ▁Egypt ian ▁ph ara oh ▁Ne cho ▁II ▁c .   6 1 0 – 5 9 5   BC . ▁In ▁The ▁Histor ies , ▁written ▁ 4 3 1 – 4 2 5   BC , ▁Her odot us ▁cast ▁doubt ▁on ▁a ▁report ▁of ▁the ▁Sun ▁observed ▁sh ining ▁from ▁the ▁north . ▁He ▁stated ▁that ▁the ▁phenomen on ▁was ▁observed ▁by ▁Pho en ician ▁expl or ers ▁during ▁their ▁circ umn avigation ▁of ▁Africa ▁( The ▁Histor ies , ▁ 4 . 4 2 ) ▁who ▁claimed ▁to ▁have ▁had ▁the ▁Sun ▁on ▁their ▁right ▁when ▁circ umn avig ating ▁in ▁a ▁clock wise ▁direction . ▁To ▁modern ▁histor ians , ▁these ▁details ▁confirm ▁the ▁truth ▁of ▁the ▁Pho en icians ' ▁report , ▁and ▁even ▁suggest ▁the ▁possibility ▁that ▁the ▁Pho en icians ▁knew ▁about ▁the ▁spher ical ▁Earth ▁model . ▁However , ▁nothing ▁certain ▁about ▁their ▁knowledge ▁of ▁ge ography ▁and ▁navigation ▁has ▁surv ived . ▁The ▁historian ▁D mit ri ▁Pan chen ko ▁the or izes ▁that ▁it ▁was ▁the ▁Pho en ician ▁circ umn avigation ▁of ▁Africa ▁that ▁inspired ▁the ▁theory