Message #121280

[dhill757]

The statue strengthens my opinion that the islands were not only
accidentally visited by the Phoenicians or the Carthaginians but that they
had already settled there; for you cannot assume that a ship determined
either for trade or for discovery had the whole statue already on board.
You must rather conclude that they arrived there on one vehicle or several
ones, during one voyage or several ones, that the crew liked the land,
that they setteld there, established a municipality, kept up the
connection to their home, and that they achieved a wealth which allowed
them to build the mentioned monument.

It is also possible that the Carthaginians, whose eagerness in trade and
navigation is famous, took an expedition to the west from this island and
that the statue pointing to the west referred to that expedition. Storms,
earthquakes and volcanic eruptions which caused immense damage could also have been the cause for the emigration of the citizens who then erected the monument with the reference to the west in order to show which way
they left. Maybe they knew of any land there. Several speculations and
opinions can be expressed in favour and against, but it seems to be
sufficiently sure that the islands were visited by the ancients. Whether
coincidence or intention was the cause cannot be answered.

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