[jimtorr]

the opinion.........that Chinese or Japanese contact was the brains behind pre-columbian indigenous American achievements.

In my opinion, early people got around better and farther than they are generally given credit for. One for instance was the find some years back of Roman ships off the mouth of the Amazon River.

Another is the fact that fishermen from Northern Europe were fishing the Great Banks off Newfoundland for at least centuries before Columbus, and perhaps much longer.

One of the Gaullish tribes that Julius Caeser conquered were using ships (witch had sail power alone) that were much larger than anything the Romans had ever seen. Historians have said that the descriptions of these Gaulish ships sound much like the carracks built in Europe 1,000 year later.

My questions are, where did the Gauls sail with these large ships, how long had they been doing it, and when, where and from whom did they learn to build and sail that type of ship?

[u-89]

No doubt there was contact from Europe and the mid-east to the Americas I am just not certain why the views are not more main stream. There are anecdotes like cocoa and nicotine found in Egyptian mummies which would date the contact long before the Vikings. Somehow I missed the Roman ships in the Amazon, thanks for mentioning it. Will have to search out more about that one.

[Terridan]

While traveling throughout the Yucatan peninsula, and visiting every site except the state of Chiapas, I couldn't help but wonder at each site, the buildings etc., being the work of great stone masonry. (And, you don't go from living in modern settings, sanitation, running water, condo type living, to mud huts and shacks.) I was reminded of the Roman Empire, and of the Greeks. I wish I could post some photos of examples, and especially the great observatory! (I just haven't figured out how yet)
Best wishes...