> North africa hadn't been a leader of anything since the fall of ancient egypt. Not true; see Carthage. They dominated trade and seafaring, and were even the

> North africa hadn't been a leader of anything since the fall of ancient egypt. Not true; see Carthage. They dominated trade and seafaring, and were even the first to sail around Africa (as opposed to the Portuguese, 2,000 years later). Ancient Egypt was in its heydey 2,000 years before Carthage.