He didn’t circumnavigate the Earth. The distance he traveled around Africa to India and back exceeded the length of the Equator.
Vasco da Gama
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasco_da_Gama
One of the New Kingdom pharaohs of Egypt commissioned a Phoenician circumnavigation of Africa, which was re-enacted in recent years. The Carthaginians voyaged out into the Atlantic and planted some colonies along the west coast of Africa while exploring at least as far south as Cameroon. And of course, this topic about the Roman trade in the Indian Ocean has related topics listed in the Raoul McLaughlin keyword.
https://freerepublic.com/tag/herodotus/index
https://freerepublic.com/tag/periplusofhanno/index
https://freerepublic.com/tag/raoulmclaughlin/index
I am just amazed sailing for months without refrigeration for food.