AI – ‘Evidence for direct, sustained trade between Ancient Egypt, Carthage, and the Azores is largely speculative and not widely accepted by mainstream archaeology. While Carthage and Egypt (especially Ptolemaic) traded within the Mediterranean, claims regarding the Azores involve controversial, limited, or lost findings, such as potential Punic coin hoards on Corvo island. 

Key Evidence and Theories:

• Carthaginian/Azores Contact: Some researchers suggest Phoenician or Carthaginian ships reached the Azores, citing reports of a lost equestrian statue and ancient coins (Carthaginian and Cyrenean) found on the island of Corvo in the 15th century. This evidence is considered speculative and lacks conclusive archaeological verification.
• Carthage-Egypt Trade: There is solid evidence for trade between Carthage and Egypt (particularly during the Ptolemaic period), including Egyptian and Cyrenean coins found in Carthaginian hoards.
• Atlantic Exploration: While ancient sailors explored the Atlantic coast, including the Madeiras and Canaries, there is no reliable, mainstream evidence that they regularly traversed as far as the Azores or the Americas.
• Controversy: Assertions of ancient, pre-colonial occupation of the Azores are highly controversial and often linked to theories of a wider Phoenician Atlantic network. 

In summary, while Carthage possessed the maritime skill to reach the Azores, and traded with Egypt, direct archaeological evidence linking all three locations in a single trade network is not considered reliable.’ 

Corvo Island is the smallest and most northerly island in the Azores archipelago, a Portuguese territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the archipelago’s Western Group, located about 20km north of Flores Island, and sits on the North American Plate.