As we all know it is often said that Christopher Columbus, the Italian explorer, discovered America, which is a bit weird to claim as there were already living humans, so it was already discovered. Anyway this must have happened somewhere around 1490.
It is also said that Leif Erikson, a explorer from Iceland, travelled to America in the 11th century.
This is all very interesting. But what would you say if I tell you that the Ancient Greek already knew about America?
I cannot proof anything, but there are some very interesting references in some ancient writings. I admit right away that there are many who claim that this is not correct (and I leave out those who cannot stand the idea that it was not Italy/Spain or Iceland/Norway who made it first to America).
Lets have a look at what we know.
Plutarch, a Greek biographer and essayist, who lived 46 AD to 120 AD, describes in his book Moraliaa a great continent located 5,000 stadia (about 800 kilometres) away from an island called Ogygia, which is 5 days travel westward from Britain.
Some claimed that Ogygia was Atlantis, but lets not go that way. The Maltese have long claimed that Ogygia is actually Gozo, the second largest island in the Maltese archipelago. Some say Ogygia was in the Ionian Sea. People as Strabo of Alexandria said that Ogygia was in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. And then Roderic O’Flaherty, an Irish historian, claimed that Ogygia was Ireland.
Euripides makes a reference in his tragedy Hippolytus of a land on the far edges of the Atlantic ocean.
Hippolytus: “Alas! What do you mean to do? Will you not even wait for the passage of Time for my case, but banish me immediately from the land?”
Theseus: “Yes, beyond the Black Sea and the edges of the Atlantic, if I could, such is my hatred of you.”
Dr. Minas Tsikritsis, a Greek-Canadian scientist who studied Aegean Scripts, says that it is possible that the Ancient Greek visited America. He points out that there are too many references in the ancient texts are correct. The mentioned distances to travel are correct, as is the route that is described.
And there more references as the ones that are mentioned.
If the Ancient Greek really visited America I can not proof. That they were aware of the “Great continent” to the west is quite sure in my opinion.
Anyway, seeing what my ancestors all have done, I would not be surprised at all!
Must have missed it because I was with an fever in bed. Really like it.
This is something I would like to chat one day soon with you about!