Author: William F. McNeil

Publisher: McFarland

Published: 2015-03-20

Total Pages: 319

ISBN-13: 0786481307

Researchers in American anthropology and archaeology from the late seventeenth century to the present--including Cotton Mather, John Wesley Powell, Thor Heyerdahl, and Betty Meggers, among others--all had discoveries that lead to the following conclusion: America was visited by Europeans well before the time of Christopher Columbus. Divided into two main parts, this work is a comprehensive study of the evidence suggesting that ancient European and Asian mariners visited the United States more than 1000 years ago. The first section is an historical overview of the external evidence that would support the theory of ancient incursions to America. A review of ancient ships and the currents in both the Pacific and Atlantic oceans is offered. The experiences of several seagoing peoples (such as Polynesians and Vikings) are explored. Both legendary voyages and modern adventures of mariners are discussed. Ancient transoceanic stories are also examined. From mammoth stone chambers of New York and New England to inscribed stones found in ancient graves from Minnesota to West Virginia, the second half of the work focuses on the American evidence for ancient visitations to the U.S., primarily in the northeast section of the country. Several alleged ancient sites are also explored in this richly illustrated work.