Frowning takes 68 muscles.
Smiling takes 6.
Pulling this trigger takes 2.
I'm lazy.
Posted on 01/03/2011 1:35:19 PM PST by Fractal Trader
Archaeologists on the island of Crete have discovered what may be evidence of one of the world's first sea voyages by human ancestors, the Greek Culture Ministry said Monday
A ministry statement said experts from Greece and the U.S. have found rough axes and other tools thought to be between 130,000 and 700,000 years old close to shelters on the island's south coast.
Crete has been separated from the mainland for about five million years, so whoever made the tools must have traveled there by sea (a distance of at least 40 miles). That would upset the current view that human ancestors migrated to Europe from Africa by land alone.
"The results of the survey not only provide evidence of sea voyages in the Mediterranean tens of thousands of years earlier than we were aware of so far, but also change our understanding of early hominids' cognitive abilities," the ministry statement said.
The previous earliest evidence of open-sea travel in Greece dates back 11,000 years (worldwide, about 60,000 years — although considerably earlier dates have been proposed).
The tools were found during a survey of caves and rock shelters near the village of Plakias by archaeologists from the American School of Classical Studies at Athens and the Culture Ministry.
Such rough stone implements are associated with Heidelberg Man and Homo Erectus, extinct precursors of the modern human race, which evolved from Africa about 200,000 years ago.
"Up to now we had no proof of Early Stone Age presence on Crete," said senior ministry archaeologist Maria Vlazaki, who was not involved in the survey. She said it was unclear where the hominids had sailed from, or whether the settlements were permanent.
"They may have come from Africa or from the east," she said. "Future study should help."
(Excerpt) Read more at google.com ...
ping
Poor ignorant man....Doesn’t have the slightest idea...It’s all about the bottomless pit...Grant Money.
The Aborigines in Australia arrived there 40,000 years ago — and it had to be by watercraft as there was no way to travel there otherwise.
Just understanding some basic facts about past geologic history, say the last 250,000 years, there is much we just don’t know about early humans.
Or by UFO??? :O
Or by UFO??? :O
Thanks.
This could clear up the mystery around the Greek name of Gilliganopolous.
I have always been fascinated by how so many isolated islands were settled so long ago.
I was recently reading about St. Kilda in the Hebrides. It is extremely isolated and people could only approach and land during the Summer, yet it was occupied for 3000 years before being abandoned during the late 1920’s.
Also Crete is particularly interesting as it seems to be one of the earliest civilizations anywhere ever yet is also isolated.
ping
This is absolute bull crap. Why not a million years? How could any reasonable scientist say this? As the global warming fiasco and scam has been exposed, so should this so-called discovery. Science today is totally political and has an agenda. It is EVOLUTION! Anyone with half a brain knows evolution never evolves to a higher state. Evolution is nothing but liberal political science, slanted and managed by those who want to belittle anyone who actually approaches science with an open mind. We never hear from those dissenting voices. It’s just a shame and really borders on criminal what they are teaching our children in the name of science.
Are they still under warranty? Craftsman would be.
On Crete, New Evidence of Very Ancient Mariners
The New York Times | 15 Feb 2010 | JOHN NOBLE WILFORD
Posted on 02/17/2010 7:15:26 AM PST by Palter
Edited on 02/17/2010 7:17:06 AM PST by Admin Moderator
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/2453256/posts
Ancient hominids may have been seafarers
Science News | Friday, January 8th, 2010 | Bruce Bower
Posted on 01/14/2010 4:18:11 AM PST by SunkenCiv
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/2428036/posts
Homo Erectus Crosses The Open Ocean
Environmental Graffiti | 06 May 2009 | Environmental Graffiti
Posted on 05/15/2009 7:53:17 AM PDT by BGHater
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/2251596/posts
LOL! Luckily I was sitting right back when I read that tale.
/bingo
That's a little leap of deductive reasoning isn't it? A 40 mile crossing isn't quite the equivalent of navigating the high seas. How do they get from that to believing they crossed the Mediterranean from Africa? Maybe they did but those are two different levels of risk and accomplishment.
[ Just understanding some basic facts about past geologic history, say the last 250,000 years, there is much we just don’t know about early humans. ]
Most scientists assume that early humans were more like the popular “cave man” type.
I would surmise Early humans lived more like the native americans, living in tents and other structures. I also think Early humans were more “semi-aquatic” especially in tropical regions.
15,000 years ago sea level was approximately 400 feet lower than today.
The area of the Indonesian Archipelago was all dry land. Much more of the Carribean was dry land then, than is the case today, and islands dotted the northern Atlantic with parts of the mid-ocean ridge dry land.
The Persian Gulf did not exist; it was dry land for miles out into the Arabian Sea. The coastline of India extended for 35-40 kilometers further out than it does today. (Marine archaeologists have discovered cities made of stone 32 kilometers off the western and eastern southern point of the Indian subcontinent).
Parts of Europe and North America were heavily covered with ice sheets.
So, where would we expect to find evidence of advanced civilizations? Those places where humans felt most comfortable, which would be in climates warmer than freezing: land areas nearer the equator.
This is what I meant by geologic history having a major impact on human history. That some human groups lived a migratory life with a little bit of farming on the side where appropriate, ignores those human mysteries like, where did the Sumerians come from? (They fled the sea flooding in the Persian Gulf by following rivers inland).
The rise in sea level between 12,500 - 7500 years ago explains the world-wide stories concerning a Great Flood. The sea level 7,500 years ago was approximately 15 feet higher than it is today, strongly indicating much warmer global temperatures than we have today.
Those damm sailors, you can’t keep them away. Maybe some of them made it to North America also. A small boat can go a long way.
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