Lopulta sain luettua tämän. Ja oli todella hyvä! Ja vielä kun olin nähnyt laivoja Oslon Heyerdahl-museossa, olin todella vaikuttunut. Uskomattomista olosuhteista selvisivät ja todistivat vielä, että on mahdollista, että Afrikasta on purjehdittu Amerikkaan jo ennen viikinkejäkin. Aina ei tieteenteko ole nenä kirjassa istumista :) ( )

Poetic prose from the adventurer:

“The huge lake swallowed the sun and the surface of the water glowed for a time like hot metal before it cooled, turning dark blue and then black, while darkness rolled on from the shore, up over the endless woods, over hill, over dale, in an unbroken wave to the world’s end. Africa by night.”

The adventurer waxes philosophical:

“We were beckoned in by a handsome and polite couple who offered us a bowl of freshly brewed 𝘢𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘳, or maize beer. The man’s name was Dagaga and the woman’s Helu. The hut had a trodden clay floor, neat and clean, with a standing loom and enormous sealed ceramic jars, contents unknown. Bottle-gourd vessels and a few home-made tools hung from the crooked beams on the walls; the bed was of skins and the pillow the same little curved wooden neck rest that was used in ancient Egypt. Dagaga and Helu were carefree; they had a minimum of possessions but a maximum of time in which to enjoy them. No refrigerator, but no bills either. No car, but no rush either. What they lacked we would have missed, but not they. What they had was what they needed and what we strive to limit ourselves to when our vacations from the office let us. When, sometime in the near future, the modern world reaches them they will learn much from us and we nothing from them, but that is tragedy for both sides, for both sides assume that we who have the most are wisest, noblest, happiest. Are we?”

The adventurer pounds the nail into scholarly hubris:

“Here I do have a theory: Perhaps we got across because we sailed on the ocean and not on a map.” ( )

The author's expedition sets out to prove that ancient civilizations in central America were directly influenced by ancient Egypt - this being made possible by papyrus boats crossing the Atlantic Ocean. However, the expedition has other themes of equal interest, such as ocean pollution, and global affairs. Interesting read. ( )

Could the ancient Egyptians have reached South America? There are enough clues in archeological remains and in the legends of bearded white men to suggest the possibility.

There is really only one way to determine if that is possible, and that is to recreate a papyrus boat using the paintings in ancient tombs as a guide.

I first read this book many years ago and came back to it recently when I saw a second-hand copy. It holds up very well. Although it is slow to get going, it really gets interesting when they start work on building the boat and is riveting when they are at sea.

There is a point when they are half-way across the Atlantic in the middle of a storm, when you think: "These men are crazy to even attempt sailing a reed boat across the ocean."

The most fascinating aspect of the book is what the journey helps reveal of the sailing and construction details of the ancient Egyptian boats. Details that make no sense on a wall painting suddenly make vital sense after a month at sea. Everything from rope thickness to the way the mast is supported become relevant in the context of sailing a boat that does not have a rigid hull.

Definitely worth reading - if you enjoy this, you'll probably also enjoy 'The Benden Voyage' by Tim Severin, and Heyerdahl's 'Kon Tiki'. ( )

Passionnant, courageux; on apprend plein de choses sur les Phéniciens, la navigation dans l'antiquité, mais aussi les Andes et l'Afrique contemporaines (Tchad, Ethiopie, Egypte, Maroc) ( )