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Greeks in Canada

6 February 2018
Archaeology

Robert also sent in this link at www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-5345049/Did-ancient-Greeks-sail-… … did ancient Greeks sail to Canada. The idea if is based on something mentioned by the Greek author Plutarch. Did they reach Canada in around AD56? A character in a text of Plutarch is said to have claimed he had recently returned from 'a great continent' – and that is about all the evidence is. What was a great continent in the eyes of the sailor. The newly conquered Britain (by the Romans) is bigger than your average Mediterranean island. Was it a reference to Britain and Ireland – as Greek sailors in AD56 may well have served in Roman boats. The researchers however choose another island – Newfoundland. There is no archaeology to support their theory – but there is evidence of the Vikings a thousand years later …

    … there is no reason why Greek sailors, or Phoenicians come to that, may have stumbled upon the Americas – but AD56 appears to be a bit late for that.

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