THE GOD CULTURE PHILIPPINES INSIGHT | MARCH 29, 2025

Did Ancient Filipinos Engage in Circumnavigational Trade?

Did the ancient Filipinos—long before Magellan—participate in global trade, even navigating around Africa? The answer may surprise you.

Our research and video series present overwhelming evidence that the famed Ships of Tarshish—vessels tied to immense wealth and long-distance trade—originated from the Philippines, as confirmed by key historical, geographical, and biblical records.

Biblical Evidence Points East

• 850 B.C. (Jonah): The prophet Jonah departed from Joppa, Israel, heading for “Tarshish.” Based on the direction toward the Orient and known trade routes of the time, Jonah’s intended destination aligns with the region of the Philippines, likely via the Persian Gulf.

• 1000 B.C. (King David): David wrote about royalty wearing gold and silver from Ophir, a region famous for its wealth. These items likely arrived via established maritime routes, supporting the idea that Ophir—identified as the Philippines—was a major trade partner.

• Before 1700 B.C. (Job): Often considered the oldest book in the Bible, Job references gold from Ophir as alluvial—gold found in riverbeds, consistent with Philippine geology.

Classical Historians Identified “Chryse” – The Golden Isle

In 43 A.D., Roman geographer Pomponius Mela described “Chryse”—Greek for Golden Isle—in the area we now call the Philippines. He cited even earlier Greek sources who detailed voyages requiring the circumnavigation of Africa to reach it. That is fact!

These ancient references include:

• 700–100 B.C.: Homer, Hesiod, Aeschylus, Herodotus, Mimnermus, Stesichorus, Plato, and others.

• 1st Century A.D.: Virgil, Seneca, Statius—all affirming trade with a distant, golden land east of India.

• All of these sources consistently place Chryse—also known as Ophir—in the East, past India, aligning geographically with the Philippines.

We’ve detailed these sources extensively in GARDEN OF EDEN REVEALED: The Book of Maps and our documentaries, Solomon's Gold Series Parts 16A-G [Watch Now] especially, as well as Garden of Eden Revealed: Map Series. Over 80 credible, historical maps over 6,000 years, manifest the modern Philippines as this location, that the Greeks and King Solomon went to, the Indians, Chinese, Malaysia, Indonesians, Greeks, Italians, Germans, Spanish, Portuguese, Netherlands, French, and even some British all agree with this throughout history, when one reads it. 

Other Classical Sources Confirm the Route

• The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea (c. 50 A.D.)

• Pliny the Elder (77 A.D.)

• Dionysius the Tourist (c. 124 A.D.)

These ancient writings confirm a navigational path to Chryse—once again, east of India, beyond the Malay Peninsula, and consistent with the modern Philippines.

But Where Are the Ships?

Critics often argue: “Where are the ships from 1000 B.C.?”
This is a flawed approach.

Wooden ships from 3,000 years ago would almost never survive the tropical climate. But absence of preserved ships doesn’t erase historical record. They cannot prove a negative! We don’t question the existence of Roman triremes or Phoenician fleets because the text and artifacts tell the story—even when few hulls remain. Note: Solomon's navy was a Phoenician fleet.

And let’s not forget: Noah’s ark, by biblical account, predates all of these. Shipbuilding existed, and Tarshish—descendant of Japheth—settled parts of the Greek Isles (Genesis 10), inheriting advanced knowledge of navigation.

Conclusion: Ancient Filipino Trade Was Global

All roads—or in this case, all seas—point back to the Philippines as Ophir, Chryse, and the source of gold that amazed kings and fueled trade across three continents.

The evidence of ancient circumnavigation, global trade, and maritime expertise in the Philippines is not only plausible—it is thoroughly documented in history, geography, and Scripture.

It’s time to restore the Philippines to its rightful place in ancient history: not just a recipient of colonial trade, but a global maritime power millennia ago.