The Egyptian priests told Solon many things1, that must have humbled his Athenian pride of superior knowledge; but one fact that they told him, on geography, is so curious, in regard to the "far West," that it is worthy of mention.
"We know the maritime abilities of the Phoenicians [Hellenes], and we can adduce tangible reasons to show, that, by orders of Pharoh Necho, Africa had been circumnavigated, and the Cape of Good Hope, about 600 BC, actually doubled, before it was in the year 1497 of our era, discovered by Diaz and Vasco de Gama.
The Egyptians had intercourse with Hindostan, the Spice Islands, and China, long before that period [...]

Gliddon, R. George (pg. 14). Ancient Egypt, Philadelphia: T. B. Peterson. Jan. 1848.
ASIN: B000XDKJRI
OCLC: 69210924
[WorldCat]
Google Books

Compare with http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seres

...Which incidentlaly highlights what Alexander (from Plutarch) meant by "[I] desire that victorius Hellenes should dance again in India and revive the memory of the Bacchic revels among the savage mountain tribes beyond the Kaukasos."