Assessing claims of Phoenician Atlantic voyages

Could Phoenician sailors have reached the Americas?

A South American visit is navigationally conceivable, but North America is less plausible and there is no basis here for claiming settlements.

The suggestion is a navigational possibility rather than an established historical fact. A vessel leaving the Mediterranean could follow seasonal wind systems toward South America and return along routes later exploited by Iberian sailors. North America is a more difficult destination for the craft and sailing pattern under discussion. Phoenician skill makes contact conceivable, but a possible visit remains far short of evidence for permanent settlement.