Comparing Evidence of Both Norse and African Presence

In pre- Columbian the States in that location is essay to show that on that point were dickens Norse and African straw man present earlier the reach of Christopher capital of Ohio maiden voyage in 1492. The battlefront of the Africans was first say by Christopher Columbus himself in his voyage diaries, which he claimed was told to him by an Indian on his second voyage. This was later solidified by Portuguese seamen who besides told of African navigation to Columbus. On the former(a) hand the Nordic front man into pre- Columbian America was stimulated by the adventurous and nomadic re assembleation of the Norsemen.The men hailed from Northern Britain, Scandinavia, Northern Germany and the Netherlands. They were withal k straightn as Northman which was common with the term Viking. This essay will assess the botanical, archaeological and oceanography separate on with the African and Egyptian Cultural history of the African presence along with the botanical, met eachu rgical, archaeological, cartographical, oral and written indorse of the Nordic presence in the pre- Columbian America.To prove that African presence existed in pre-Colombian America forward Columbus arrival Professor Van Sertima presented archaeological render in many forms. The first piece of archaeological evidence was the Guanine. The Italian grade Raccolta of the voyages reads thither were pieces of gua-nin as large as carvels poop. 1 This mixture existed predominantly with Africans who were divulgeside of the Atlantic domain of a function. It was in general prime on the tips of spears and other weapons making this an important comp geniusnt for the indigenous societies.The trading of this alloy was massive mingled with the Africans and the Indigenous people. and he (Columbus) wanted to find out what the Indians of Hispaniola had told him, that there had come to it from the south and southwest Negro people, who brought those spear points do of a metal which they cal led guanine, of which he had sent to the king and queen for assaying, and which was assemble to find thirty dickens arts, eighteen of gold, six of silver, and eight of copper. Raccolta, PARTE , VOL. This piece of archaeological evidence helps Van Sertima to show that before Columbus arrived there was interaction between the Africans and the people of the Atlantic valet de chambre via the form of trade. The Negroid factor is good proven by the large Olmec stone monuments as well as the terracotta items and therefore cannot be excluded from the pre-Columbian history of the Americas. - ALEXANDER VON WUTHENAU2. The approximately important of all the archaeological findings of African presence were that of the Negroid Olmec heads open in La Venta, Tres Zapotes and San Lorenzo, between the period of 1939-1940.This piece of evidence was the al closely cover of all that Van Sertima collected to explain pre-Columbian African contact. These were large carved stone heads reaching six to nine feet high, measure up to forty tons each3 and were carved out of basalt stone. When they were unearthed in both central and south America it was decl bed by Van Sertima in that respect is no denying their negroness either, the features be not solely nergo African in token but individual in their facial particulars cancelling out the possibility of religious rite stereotypes of an unknown race produced by some quirk of the sculptors imagination. Not only did these heads feed the facial features of that of an African but on one of the stone heads dug up was found to have Ethiopian braids These Olmec heads were the most convincing pieces of evidence of African presence in the pre-Columbian presence that Van Sertima presented in his theory.As much as archaeological evidence is important so is oral history and traditions, as quoted We are vessels of speech, we are the repositories which harbour secrets many centuries old without us the names of kings would vanish from ob livion, we are the memory of mankind by the spoken word we bring to lifespan the deeds and exploits of kings of younger multiplications4. at that place are oral records inside African societies giving parallel accounts and evidence to substantiate the findings presented in Van Sertimas theory. The story of king Abubakari of the ancient Mali kingdom was passed down by word of mouth from generation to generations.King Abubakari set sail in 1311 with a well equipped marine fleet to cross the Atlantic although he failed within the evidence that is presented now of his arrival around the time that links African presence in south America. It also highlights the fact that it was more than just a innocent coincidence thus showing a direct link and corporation between two civilizations. Professor Van Sertima also present evidence in oceanography to verify historical reports and accounts the journey from West Africa to the Americas was possible.Geographical seek shows that there are t hree major current off the brim of Africa leading automatically to the Americas. Perhaps Heyerdahls greatest contribution has been shown by example that long voyages in primitive craft were not impossible. This may have been necessary for some Amercanists it was not for those who knew the sea5. Thor Heyerdahl a Norwegian generator and explorer do more than an academic study of these posts used. Heyerdahl put the ship building ideas and designs of the ancient Egyptians to a practical test to make it crosswise the Atlantic to the Americas from Africa.Using the most primitive of the gravy boats construct from the papyrus reed Heyerdahl conducted two experiments with the vessels Ra and Ra which visualized the Trans Atlantic Current. The Ra set out from Safi, on the Atlantic coast of North Africa, on May 25, 1969. It sailed to within a few twenty-four hour periods of the New World before it got into solid trouble. The Heyerdahl expedition had do one mistake A smaller model, Ra, built on the identical Egyptian pattern made it across the Atlantic from Africa successfully6.This experiment proved to be successful crediting the theory that the Africans may have used the sea route to reach the Atlantic World. The adoption of a new plant is no simple matter. It requires the adoption of a only complex of knowledge about the plants ecological requirements, and very much also about the human usage of the plant. The presence of even one transferred plant means that a quite effective contact has been made between two people7. In traditional Africa their main form of bills was the use of shells and cocoa beans as currency rather than other emblematical items.This factor could be seen translated in the currency of the Mesoamericans as Botanical continuities was presented by the presence of African species found in the Americas for example the Jack bean is believed to be a crop of African origin that was brought to the Americans before Columbus arrival, West Africa n yam has also been found in the America additionally other plants that became a major aspect of the Atlantic World such as banana and maize hints towards African cultural influences in the region. On the other hand now there is the theory that the Vikings were here before Columbus as well.The most prominent source of evidence of pre-Columbian Viking contact with the New World can be found in the Icelandic Annals (chronicles) Islending book, Flateyjar book and Landnama book. Evidently this theatre which is now the home of the copper Eskimo and other Eskimo, was occupied by the Eskimos in Viking times, for its Icelandic name of the map is Einjoetingidand (Land of the Einfoeting). The story of Einfoeting related in the Icelandic saga of Rarlsefni is state by Godfrey to be wholly impossible. 8 Initially these sagas were passed on orally until Adam of Brehemin also known as Adamus Brenamus of Cleric began transcribing these tories in 1070. These sagas made special reference to the New World described are generally termed Vinland but are found in sections of the Greenlanders saga and Erik the Red. The sagas documented the arrival to three territories Helluland (flat), Markland (timber) and Vinland (grapes), which were taken to be now Baffin Island, Labrador and Newfoundland in Canada. Correspondence with Newfoundland officials, Lloyds explorations in 1873, and preliminary explorations for the author by Alf Budden of standard operating procedure Arm, Newfoundland, in 1940 indicated that the Sops Arm area was the invest of the first Norse stoppage in Vinland9.Most important of these places mentioned in the sagas seemed to have been Vinland as several expeditions were taken to that place. some of the expeditions were taken by Lief Erikson, Thorvald Erikson, Thorstein Erikson, Thorfin Karlefin, Freydis Erikson. It was wildly believed that is now present day LAnse aux Meadows. Other than their sagas the Vikings had more concrete evidence in mapmaking and mapmakin g. The interpretation of the Viking charts by the author has been verified by the Hydrographic big businessman of the U. S. Navy10.A world map adated about 1440 was found in 1965, this map understandably showed locations of Vinland. It was found in a book called the Vinland map and Tartar copulation. Irrefutable evidence of the Vikings discoveries in America is their navigation charts. These were marked in grizzly Icelandic the names they gave to the areas they discover. Showing coasts and waterways of ancient America, they belong to a series of more than 35 maps of the ancient world which have been uphold for thousands of years in various parts of the Old World11.We can think from this that this piece of evidence supported the theory of Viking presence in pre-Columbian America. Two iron shovels were found, one in an Enkieling furnace and one in a hearth-pit furnaces . A. M. Hall, metallurgist of the Battelle Memorial Institute, examined these shovels and reported that they had been made by cladding two carburized iron sheets together12. Evidence of Norse style smelting was uncovered at an excavation identify in LAnse aux Meadows. Iron manufacturing was an activity where bogore, which was a form of iron from which bogs was processed in order to make boat nails.This need for boats nails explains the introduction for iron smelting in the Americas. Two Enkielings of the pit type, two of the above ground type, and ten hearth-pit furnaces were excavated in the Deer Creek Valley. There were three kinds of hearth-pit furnaces, all types that were used in the Old World before the fourteenth centurary13. This piece of evidence solidifies the theory of the Vikings presence. During the excavation at the locate in LAnse aux Meadows, the Norwegian explorer Helge Ingstads, found remnants of a Viking settlement in LAnse aux Meadows in 1960.This was founded in the province of Newfoundland in Canada along with butternut three to be exact, that were preserved. More impor tantly these bogs found contained tanic stinging which can preserve both organic and inorganic materials for centuries. The presence of these butternuts suggests that they were transported to the area rather than grown there. This adds more value to the pre-Columbian Nordic presence theory. Also a burl which is a roundish, warty outgrowth from the consistence and roots of certain trees of butternut wood was also found in the bog.Thus it can be safely concluded that Vikings brought this wood with them. Similarly items made with Scotts pine also known as pinus Sylvertris were found in the bog. Again this type of wood did not grow in that area and it was common for utensils to be made from it in the Old World. The most impressive evidence of Vikings in the New World comes from LAnse aux Meadows on the northern tip of Newfoundland. In 1960 most of the archaeological evidence was gather there from excavation by Ingstad. The Ingstads found a Norse site one hundred metres from the ocean shore comprising of three complexes.All the buildings were located on a narrow beach terries surrounding a sedge peat bog and a wet sphagnum bog. These houses have usually been circular if they were rectangular, their width was only slightly less than their length14. The early Scandinavians up to the 12th century lived in dwellings which were different from all other communal houses in the old World because they were long, narrow, one room, one story buildings with two passage ways and a long central hearth extending lengthwise through the building.The only luminosity came from the fire on the hearth and through openings left in the crownwork to permit smoke to escape15. The buildings were made from a timber frame covered in sod and the roofs were steeply peaked. Some items found at this site that were preserved in the bog included wood shavings and chips from the carpentry shop, items of confused wood, tree nails which were used in their ship building, plank patch for loopy bo at stakes, a bow for an auger and pieces of rope made from lively roots. Also a Viking coin was found at the Goddard site geological dating to A.D. 1070. The coin was the only Norse artefact found. I t was also determined to be in this place16 because of trade between the Vikings and Native Americans17. In conclusion it can be noted that from all the evidence put forward of both Norse and African presence in the pre-Columbian Americas some out weight the other in being concrete historical evidence. However it can be said that due to all this evidence it can be stated that there was interaction between both groups and the indigenous peoples before the arrival of the Europeans.Sources 1. Leo Wiener, African and the uncovering of America, Philadelphia, Innes and Sons, 1920-1922, Vol. 1. 2. Alexander Von Wuthenau, The Art of Terra-cotta Pottery in Pre-Columbian South and aboriginal America 3. Michael Coe, Mexico, New York, Praeger Publishers, 1962 p. 88 4. The Words of the Mali Grio t Mamadou Kouyate, Quoted in D. T. Niane, Sundiata An Epic of Old Mali A. D. 1217- 1237 5. Clinton Edwards, Man Across the Sea 6. Thor Heyerdahl, Isolationist or Diffusionist? in Ashe, op. cit. . G. F. Carter, apparent movement of People and Ideas, In Plants and Migrations, edited by J. Barrau 8. Godfrey 1955 36 9. Mallery 1951 11 10. Walters 1956 2-5 11. Walters 1956 2 12. Mallery 1951134a 13. Mallery 1951 193, 193d, 194b, 196d 14. Vikings in America Theories and Evidence (American Anthropologists 735-43) 15. Norlwnd 1924 77ff Roussell1934 34ff Dasent 1861XCV 16. The Fact and assembly of Vikings in America, Archaeology of Vikings in the U. S. , Kari L. Springer 17. William 1991222