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Often times the discovery of the New World is associated with Christopher Columbus, or the Vikings. However, non-natives may have set foot on the "New World" thousands of years before Columbus or any viking had even been born. Let's review the evidence.
In this CNN article, they talk about an experiment performed by former Royal Navy officer Philip Beale, in which he used a boat built in a Phoenician design to cross the Atlantic Ocean in a manner of 2 years. This proves that the Phoenicians had the means of transportation, but does that mean they actually traveled to North America?
In this book, Urban World History: An Economic and Geographical Perspective, the author, Luc-Normand Tellier, says
"According to some, Phoenician traces have been found in North America and Brazil."
However, I did not see any given evidence of Phoenician traces, so therefore this article alone does not trace the Phoenicians to North America.
In this final article, it is written
"This Phoenician copy of a half-dollar-size coin from ancient syracuse may provide definite evidence supporting Professor Mark McMenamin's theory that the ancient Phoenicians were the first Old World explorers in the New World. . . McMenamin was delighted to hear that seven coins, supposedly struck by Carthage in 350 B.C., have been found across North America by treasure hunters between 1840 and 1986."
This is direct, physical, evidence placing the Phoenicians in North America in 350 B.C. Therefore, given that they had the means of transportation, and that there is in fact evidence of their presence, I believe the Phoenicians were the first to discover the New World.
Thank you for reading this! Sorry I posted so late, I had to march in a parade. Let me know who you think discovered North America. Check back tomorrow for Part 5: Energy of my Art of War review, and my Weekly 7 Post. Oh, and thank you to my history teacher for assigning this research as homework.
Also remember to check for: My weekly 7 post, and my weekly piano performance of Christmas pieces.
If the coins were found 1840 to 1987 what's to say they weren't brought over in years just prior to 1840 and possibly afterwards. Possibly by collectors in the old days. Just thought I had when I skimmed through. Like the content tho.
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Exactly. The year the coins were coined doesn't place them in a new continent.
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Thanks for commenting this, fair point. However, that is why this is a theory. I wonder if Professor Mark McMenamin has addressed that problem. I am sure he would not publish his findings unless he had evidence to suggest that it had aged in North America. I am glad you liked it.
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I was actually just thinking too that depending how deep they were found and possibly using the earth layer technique.(Not sure what thats called) They could get an idea of when the coins had dropped there.
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Fantastic point, my dad was just telling me I should research the context of their discovery.
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I can't tell who discovered the continent. Except and apart from the aborigines, of course.
But I can tell you who didn't. Christopher Columbus didn't. He was completely lost when he stumbled ashore and he didn't realize in his lifetime that he actually crash landed on an unknown continent. That is, unknown to their civilisation.
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I think we can both agree it was still a revolutionary discovery, whether he made it or not :)
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Sorry, for the poor natives it was the beginning of their end.
Yes, I know. It would eventually happen no matter who was first to set feet on their ground.
The greed of white man has no borders :(
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Here's an interesting article on the topic that I read a few years ago. It mentions Columbus and the Vikings, but not the Phoenicians. It also points out another little known fact. Discovery goes in two directions. Native Americans apparently discovered Europe in 60 BC.
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@remlaps
A very interesting article. Thank you very much for linking to it. Read it all through and it makes perfect sense. Official history is a bunch of lies and myths. As is mass media everywhere and every time :)
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350BC?
Heh
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Thanks for the feedback. Looks interesting. I will do some more research about the Solutrean hypothesis.
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you're welcome...(wonder why the video blanked?)
Man kind has lived through at least one ice age and possible more than one...during the peak of the glaciation the ocean level was four hundred foot lower than it is today...who knows what the water hides...who knows what happened thousands of years ago??
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Yes that is true.
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Everybody discovered it. Some discovered it and lost it, some came here and didn't know they had discovered anything, some visited here often and just didn't tell the rest of the world, and the 15th century explorers discovered it for the people who are the progenitors of our current world wide culture.
It's like who discovered the wheel? It doesn't really matter that Grunt and Ook invented it 30,000 years earlier, the invention of it by the people who made it into a world changing tool are the ones who matter. So Grunt made a wheel, used it to carry firewood until he broke it and left it lying on the side of the path. That takes nothing away from the people who learned how to make them and built a civilization around that knowledge.
Marketing, it's all about marketing.
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That is a really good point. Good analogy!
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