“Right into the twentieth century,” writes Thor Heyerdahl, “it was an accepted theory that there was only one cradle of civilization, which stood not far from the Bible lands, from where the civilization spread across continents and oceans to all parts of the world.” The account in the Bible book of Genesis says that the first communities after the Flood were established in Mesopotamia, the region between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, and that from there mankind came to be scattered over “all the surface of the earth.”- Gen. Was it simply a matter of coincidence that the people of Middle America had pyramids, mummies, brain operations, sun worship and king-priests, just as did the ancient Egyptians? Or was it because that Indian tradition was based on fact, and “white, bearded men” had drifted across the ocean via the transatlantic current that starts from off the North African coast? Why? They had a tradition that “white, bearded men” from across the ocean once brought civilization to them, and now they thought this new wave of white men came as friends also. The king-priests and their armies practically surrendered to a handful of Spanish soldiers. The greedy conquerors from Europe ravaged and plundered the cities, enslaving those of the population that were not massacred for refusing to accept the Catholic religion. Only the ruins of that advanced civilization now remain. There were monuments, beautifully carved, pyramids and other magnificent structures. There were roads paved with stones, enormous aqueducts and impressive suspension bridges.
#Reeds and papyrus Patch
Their surgeons could patch up fractures, they could embalm the dead, they could perform brain operations. These had a calendar system more accurate than that used in Europe. They met capable scribes, architects, artists, astronomers and surgeons in well-organized cities, ruled by sun-worshiping king-priests. The Spanish conquerors or “conquistadores” who crossed the ocean in the wake of Columbus encountered something more than primitive nomads. His aim was to throw some light on a much-debated question, namely, Is there a connection between the civilization of the ancient Mediterranean lands and the civilization found by the Spaniards when they reached Central America four or five hundred years ago? The subject has occupied many scholars. But why did Heyerdahl choose such a strange bark? What would he accomplish by his project? It was constructed almost entirely of papyrus reeds, reminiscent of the ancient craft used on the river Nile back in the time of the Pharaohs. What raised many an eyebrow in scientific circles was the primitiveness of the vessel. In fact, he planned to cross the Atlantic to Central America-a voyage of 3,750 miles! Yet, its master, ethnologist Thor Heyerdahl, famous skipper of the Kon-Tiki expedition of some twenty years ago, intended to venture it out on the open sea.
It bore no resemblance to any seagoing vessel with which we are familiar. “A SAILING haystack,” “a paper swan,” “a floating bird’s nest.” These were some of the names given to a strange bark that was launched from a Moroccan seaport on May 17 last year.
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