Like the Vikings it is interesting but nothing followed on from it. That is why Columbus was important and consequential. Other Europeans followed and opened up the Americas to the world.
Prior to 1492, Columbus went to Iceland to find out about the already known voyages of the Vikings.
Right. That’s how I view it.
The Vikings were looking for plunder, but all resources to build ships, and despite their stereotypes, the were looking for trade. They may have got as far as “vine land” or northern parts of North America, but it was mostly to collect some pelts and get wood for ship repair/building, and also trying to find precious minerals or rare materials for crafts and smithing. That’s it. They had no interest in permanent settlement and colonization. Mostly just bases/ports to use for travel. If I recall correctly, Normandy is the only place they ever truly stopped permanently.
Also, I think of Phoenicians more as traders in a more traditional sense than the Vikings, although I haven’t read up on them at all. While they may have explored, looking for new sources of trade, they probably had absolutely no interest in untamed territory.
Columbus and the Europeans of his era were all about colonization and expansion. The big material score would be gold, but most European powers look at land as power, and they wanted to take it before their rivals did.