The speaker in the lecture states attempts to directly challenge the points made in the article by using historical evidence that may contradict the conclusion that the Phoenicians could’ve never circumnavigated Africa.
In the article, the writer mentions that Phoenician ships were not made for long voyages and wouldn’t have withstood the journey around Africa. The speaker retorts by saying that Phoenicians ships were, in fact, very sturdy and had durable hulls which could withstand strong currents.
The article also states that the Phoenicians couldn’t have circumnavigated Africa due to the many obstacles along the path and mentions the Cape of Good Hope as an area which is still treacherous even for sailors today. However, as the speaker states, the Phoenicians set up trading posts along the west coast of Africa and could’ve asked locals for important information about currents and weather that could’ve help them along the way. The speaker also brings up the fact that the Phoenicians were a seasoned seafaring people and used many physical landmarks, constellations, and other forms of navigational tools which would’ve made the journey possible.
The final point which the article makes is that there was no historical evidence that the Phoenicians ever completed their journey around Africa. Again, the speaker challenges this with multiple different historical records of Phoenicians having circumnavigated Africa which includes Ancient Egyptian drawings and colonial records.