Questions tagged [precolumbian-contact]
For questions pertaining to the contact between the American continent and its peoples with the rest of the world before the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus in c. A.D. 1492.
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Why wasn't awareness of Australia more widespread in pre-colonial Asia?
It has been rather well-established that (some) Asians were in contact with Australia before European colonialism, possibly even centuries before. Yet the awareness of Australia didn't seem to spread ...
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What's the origin of the legend that this rock formation in America had a 12th century Welsh Origin?
There is a Welsh legend/myth that America was discovered by a Welshman named Madoc the Great, in the 12th century. His Wikipedia page reads the same but also that there isn't any conclusive evidence ...
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Did migrating people ever maintain contact across the Bering Strait?
The Inuit ranged from Alaska to Greenland. The Yupik were in Alaska and Russia. Would peoples have kept in contact across islands in the Arctic but not across the Bering Strait? This question could be ...
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Was there a Viking Exchange as well as a Columbian one?
In the Columbian Exchange, many tropical and temperate species crossed the Atlantic for the first time. Was there previously a Viking Exchange at higher latitudes?
According to Jesse Byock's Viking ...
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Did the Inca Empire know about the Polynesians, or vice versa?
I'll split this question into two parts.
Pre-Columbus: There's some evidence that Polynesians traveled back and forth between Oceania and South America before the arrival of Europeans. The sweet ...
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Did Portuguese fisherman visit New England prior to 1492?
This might blow your mind a little bit, but one thing I notice, living in New England as I do, that there are the remnants of a tiny Portuguese community here going way, way back. For example, there ...
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Does the Kimmirut find indicate pre-Viking Europeans traveling to Baffin Island?
A 2008 article from the Nunatsiaq News claimed there was new evidence of European contact with the Canadian Arctic, saying things like:
Dating of some yarn and other artifacts, presumed to be left ...
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Is there a possibility that the Islamic civilization visited America before Columbus?
Islamic sources claim that there is historical evidence that an Islamic explorer visited America before Columbus and the Age of Discovery. An example. Columbus Was Not The First To Cross The Atlantic. ...
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What is the state of the art historical analysis of claims that Carthaginians discovered America?
The Carthaginians, and the Phoenicians in general, are renowned for their seafaring abilities. There is evidence for their circumnavigation of Africa, and strong evidence for the fact that Hanno the ...
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Is there evidence of extensive Viking presence in North America?
The Vikings appear to have had two long-lasting communities in Greenland, and a site has been found at L'Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland Canada.
But is there any solid evidence that the Vikings had ...