What all this means for us
I chose to focus on these cases for several reasons. First and foremost they are some of the most likely cases and this makes them worthwhile to study. Many consider these ideas myth or legend but both of these are almost always backed by true facts. An example of this is how the city of Troy that was once thought to have existed only in the stories of Homer has been found and its destruction noted.
There are many people who think that the evidence behinds these claims is fraudulent and that these theories are merely based on made up evidence. While doing my research I cam across many sources that were blatantly conspiracy theories that people were attempting to pass off as legitimate sources of information. Therefore I feel it is important that I address each one of these stories for their factual soundness.
The claims about the Olmec are by far the hardest to substantiate because we know so little about their history and culture. In researching this topic I found that most mainstream anthropologists had essentially written this mystery off as a mere archaeological trifle and these heads nothing to be concerned about. Therefore most of the research I found was from non-mainstream groups and primarily focused on similarities between these heads and African cultures because there is no definitive evidence to suggest that such a connection existed. However, considering how close Africa and South America at the Mid-Atlantic it seems very reasonable that Africans could have sailed across and up the coasts to Central America.
The saga of Chinese exploration is one that unfortunately is not as well documented as we would wish. This due in part to the purge of exploration that occurred after the death of Zheng He. Many historians think that the idea of Chinese world exploration is ludicrous given that there is no established tradition of historical evidence for this. However, this is beginning to change with works like 1421 by Gavin Menzies which are beginning to challenge established thoughts on this subject and offering dramatic evidence to support their claims. Though many in the academic community think that this entire effort is fraudulent and the evidence made up, the evidence that people like Menzies are putting forth is very convincing and it deservers further research.
The tale of the Vikings is well documented and there is a wealth of proof substantiating the fact that they most definitely beat Columbus to the New World. However, it is a sad truth that rather few people know of their great achievement. Of the four cases presented here this one is by far the one with the most proof and rooted in fact.
Finally the story of the Polynesians is one that like the Olmec is rather difficult to substantiate. There is proof that they had the capabilities to travel across the Pacific, however until very recently there was very little if any evidence to show that they had either come from or been to the South American continent however this is beginning to change and it seems that Heyerdahl may be proven if not correct possibly partially correct. However, it will take much more research and evidence before this will be accepted in mainstream academic community.
In general the evidence supporting these claims, with the exception of course of the Vikings, is rather new and not completely if at all verified by the anthropological and historical communities. There are skeptics concerning all these ideas from those who say that the Olmec heads have flattened faces in order to speed up the process of carving to those who have proven in several cases that supposedly historical Chinese maps are merely recent forgeries. This has raised the burden of proof enormously high, however this is a good thing for it forces researchers to make sure that they solid evidence before going forward with a theory, though at the risk of discouraging risky theories that may cause research in new directions.
The main goal of this website was first to present ideas about world exploration that are not mainstream and second to challenge our preconceived and often times ethnocentric notions about the world around us. There will always be doubt but by opening our minds to a greater range of possibilities there is no end to what we might discover about ourselves and our history. That's what anthropology is all about: discovering truths about ourselves and where we come from and for every difference it discovers, another similarity becomes apparent.
There are many people who think that the evidence behinds these claims is fraudulent and that these theories are merely based on made up evidence. While doing my research I cam across many sources that were blatantly conspiracy theories that people were attempting to pass off as legitimate sources of information. Therefore I feel it is important that I address each one of these stories for their factual soundness.
The claims about the Olmec are by far the hardest to substantiate because we know so little about their history and culture. In researching this topic I found that most mainstream anthropologists had essentially written this mystery off as a mere archaeological trifle and these heads nothing to be concerned about. Therefore most of the research I found was from non-mainstream groups and primarily focused on similarities between these heads and African cultures because there is no definitive evidence to suggest that such a connection existed. However, considering how close Africa and South America at the Mid-Atlantic it seems very reasonable that Africans could have sailed across and up the coasts to Central America.
The saga of Chinese exploration is one that unfortunately is not as well documented as we would wish. This due in part to the purge of exploration that occurred after the death of Zheng He. Many historians think that the idea of Chinese world exploration is ludicrous given that there is no established tradition of historical evidence for this. However, this is beginning to change with works like 1421 by Gavin Menzies which are beginning to challenge established thoughts on this subject and offering dramatic evidence to support their claims. Though many in the academic community think that this entire effort is fraudulent and the evidence made up, the evidence that people like Menzies are putting forth is very convincing and it deservers further research.
The tale of the Vikings is well documented and there is a wealth of proof substantiating the fact that they most definitely beat Columbus to the New World. However, it is a sad truth that rather few people know of their great achievement. Of the four cases presented here this one is by far the one with the most proof and rooted in fact.
Finally the story of the Polynesians is one that like the Olmec is rather difficult to substantiate. There is proof that they had the capabilities to travel across the Pacific, however until very recently there was very little if any evidence to show that they had either come from or been to the South American continent however this is beginning to change and it seems that Heyerdahl may be proven if not correct possibly partially correct. However, it will take much more research and evidence before this will be accepted in mainstream academic community.
In general the evidence supporting these claims, with the exception of course of the Vikings, is rather new and not completely if at all verified by the anthropological and historical communities. There are skeptics concerning all these ideas from those who say that the Olmec heads have flattened faces in order to speed up the process of carving to those who have proven in several cases that supposedly historical Chinese maps are merely recent forgeries. This has raised the burden of proof enormously high, however this is a good thing for it forces researchers to make sure that they solid evidence before going forward with a theory, though at the risk of discouraging risky theories that may cause research in new directions.
The main goal of this website was first to present ideas about world exploration that are not mainstream and second to challenge our preconceived and often times ethnocentric notions about the world around us. There will always be doubt but by opening our minds to a greater range of possibilities there is no end to what we might discover about ourselves and our history. That's what anthropology is all about: discovering truths about ourselves and where we come from and for every difference it discovers, another similarity becomes apparent.