Romans in the Americas

[MARCVS PETRONIVS MAIVS]

What has always intrigued me is why no Greek, Roman or Egyptian ever sailed south of the Pillars of Hercules, as in down the coast of Africa. If they went upwards towards Iberia, Hispania, Gaul and Eventually Britannia and Hibernia (and it was QUITE a way up) how come they never bothered to go down?

There is a posibility that the Romans reached the Atlanic, to the Canary Islands (The Island of Dogs).

The Carthaginian Hanno the Navigator ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanno_the_Navigator ) underwent a journey along the African coast.

Carthage dispatched Hanno at the head of a fleet of sixty ships to explore and colonize the west coast of Africa. He sailed through the straits of Gibraltar, founded or repopulated seven colonies along the African coast of Morocco, and explored significantly further along the Atlantic coast of the continent.

for the ancient seafaring nations it was not a problem to sail beyond the Pillars of Hercules. this is all within their tech. capabilites, by following currents and winds. I think they'd loved to explore further, but that went beyond their capabilites.

Wow, you really do learn a something new everyday. I had no idea of the above, partly because all maps I see of that time period seem to exclude most of Africa. I have also never heard any roman accounts of anything bellow the Berbers and Moors.