--- In [email protected], off_world_beings <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Note : Our understanding and assumption of the inability of ancient > peoples to travel the world is a flawed assumption. The natural > assumption based on evidence is that the opposite is true. Humans > were most likely masters of land a sea...long ago. It is amazing > what a well built sailing ship can do, and all our assumptions about > the impotance as travellers our anscestors had, have been > consistently eroded by evidence over the last 50 years. > > Extract from: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/sultan/explorers.html > > "However, in 1962, the rudderpost of a treasure ship was excavated > in the ruins of one of the Ming boatyards in Nanjing. This timber > was no less than 36 feet long. Reverse engineering using the > proportions typical of a traditional junk indicated a hull length of > around 500 feet." (note: Columbus' largest ship was less than 100 > feet) > http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/sultan/explorers.html
These articles are fascinating. I have seen PBS shows on the Irish and Nowegian sailors' exploration -- I believe they indicated a fairly strong acheological case for both reaching North America. One show as I remember, perhaps too vaguely, indicated evidence of Chinese in North America. These articles indicate that the naval capacity was there to do so. To subscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!' Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
