### L1237 when were ancient traders sailing > We briefly trace the fortunes of the Phoenicians as the pace of Mediterranean sea history quickens after 500 B.C.E., for these remarkable mariners and traders were the first from the south to explore Northern European waters in search of tin. But, many centuries earlier, Egyptian ships were plying the Red Sea and trading as far south as the mysterious Land of Punt, on the margins of the vast monsoon world of the Indian Ocean. - [[Beyond the Blue Horizon by Brian Fagan#L1237 when were ancient traders sailing|View in Vault]]