Did Humans Colonize the World by Boat?

Evidence of human migration by boat. A 32,000 year old skeleton found on Okinawa. Evidence of man in Australia and off the coast of California 12,000 years ago. While the Land Bridges almost certainly happened during the ice ages, but has man been traveling long distances by boat well before them? Interesting stuff.

[Adrian in Tacoma]

Probably the most common and efficient means to travel long distances with minimal energy resources...

[BEAN]

I guess it may have been possible.I would think rafts ,not boats as we know, were used.I read that Australia was reached buy the sea.That during the very first migrations out of Africa,they crossed the narrow water then. Its much wider now!.Polynesians surly navigated the vast Pacific to reach islands.But in what time frame? A Thor Heyerdahl,with his kon tiki rafts did a number of trips.He showed these trips could be done.But in what time frame?its hard ,in this time frame,70,000 yrs ago to be sure, a long time ago.I'm not sure,which people are we talking about?Homo Sapiens? Neanderthals?They were both around. What was the climate then?

Did they know the constant north star?Did they read the waves,how did they know where they were heading? or did they,without any knowledge just take off.I do not think so.Had to be a plan and information.

It would have had to be small groups of humans . family's,women,kids,babies.Som e live stock,tools, some kind of rope,their clothes,The food and drink supply,shelter on the raft,some knowledge of the sail.Did they invent a rudder?an oar? Thats sophisticated a long time ago.

One can only guess ,if they did,the disasters that occurred.

Big lakes ,rivers,seem more doable.In sight of land,along coasts and beaches,this is more than possible.But trans- Ocean trips...need a lot of proof of that.

it seems to me there are a lot of questions!

Then again,we were smarter than the average monkey!!LOL!

[formally abducted]

those crazy amazing humans(and neanderthals)they were no different than us who are capable of anything and only limited by their imaginations.

[Dr Sausage]

It's more likely that God picked them up by the shirt and placed them around the world.

[DMH]

Dr Sausage wrote:

It's more likely that God picked them up by the shirt and placed them around the world.

explain how that is more likely

[Skunk River Joe]

Buckminster Fuller suggested a similar idea 30 years or so ago in his book Critical Path. He hypothesized that the Polynesians or other Pacific Islanders were the first true navigators and that they colonized western South and North America and that they travelled as far as North Africa and shared the knowledge of navigation with the Phoenicians.
I have seen the navigators of Satawal Island when they made their annual landing on Saipan after they'd sailed over more than 1000 miles of open water in canoes they built using native materials and very ancient methods. They navigated by "maps" made of sticks and shells. They used the maps and stories handed down for generations to determine their location by the patterns of waves.
The were able able to survive even typhoons by turning their canoes over and breathing the air trapped under the boat.
After crossing all that open water, they landed on the same spot year after year.

[Nulli Secundus]

Dr Sausage wrote:

It's more likely that God picked them up by the shirt and placed them around the world.

What shirt?

[BEAN]

Skunk River Joe wrote:

Buckminster Fuller suggested a similar idea 30 years or so ago in his book Critical Path. He hypothesized that the Polynesians or other Pacific Islanders were the first true navigators and that they colonized western South and North America and that they travelled as far as North Africa and shared the knowledge of navigation with the Phoenicians.
I have seen the navigators of Satawal Island when they made their annual landing on Saipan after they'd sailed over more than 1000 miles of open water in canoes they built using native materials and very ancient methods. They navigated by "maps" made of sticks and shells. They used the maps and stories handed down for generations to determine their location by the patterns of waves.
The were able able to survive even typhoons by turning their canoes over and breathing the air trapped under the boat.
After crossing all that open water, they landed on the same spot year after year.

These people were great navigators.
they used observation as their method of steering.
Migration of birds,even butterfly's was observed.Certain fish pattern's,the algae in the sea,Clouds hovering over land,were some of the methods they used.They read the color and direction of the sea,currants,and waves."Follow the Coconuts, chase the bananas" they probably did.

Of course "Noah" with his ark,used land birds ,released, to find land.

However,they are talking 70,000 yrs. ago!like hanging on a log do not make a boat.The evolution of navigation,building water craft, was a learning process.

Were we talking 5 to 10,000 yrs ago,I think people all over were "Yachting" it.like Chinese,Arabs,Minoins,Phoenici ans,Asiatic people coming into North America,the Clovis people from Europe,this I could accept.

But I dunno! 70,000 yrs ago, is a long time.Any one knows of this in better detail?......Unless cave people had water wings,and a "Merc 250, the sea must have been awesome. The North Atlantic ,full of ice.The surf had to be a difficult.Yes they lived by the sea,ate tons of shellfish,with hot sauce? But surfing ,I dunno?Those heavy skin swim suits...??

Rivers,and lakes ,well thats more than possible..along the shore,travel,then pulling to land.That makes sence.....70,000 yrs ago....

"VELY INTERESTING"

[TOM REGAN]

...how else would they get around...AMTRACK ?

[Armyofonetimeson esquared]

Well, I'd sure be curious to read what they publish when they've gathered enough evidence to come to a supportable conclusion.

[hetrevillion]

Good article, Cash. Enough data to sink ones teeth into. We know the Aborigines' ancestors went to Australia via the ocean about 50,000 years ago. It is easy enough to see that exodus as the end of 20,000 years of coastal voyaging. Humans have always built villages and cities at the mouth of rivers on the ocean. It's easy to see the coastal voyagers settling at the next river for a generation or two, then some youngsters moving on to the next river along the coast.

[Captain Cave Man]

I started to think this way after I found an article on this topic.

http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/town/parade/henr...

If the sphinx is that old and pyramids share traits from around the globe, why not?

Humans using the oceans for transport for 10's of thousands of years makes more sense than spacemen sharing technology with cavemen.

This would also explain early maps of Antarctica with no ice.

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html...

[BEAN]

Thats true,the Sphinx is older than thought. It was built when that desert it sits in ,was green,with palm trees.Even in Roman times ,the symbol for Egypt was Bundled wheat.

Vikings settled "Green Land,and Vine land' and it was Green they brought live stock..Navigation was easier also. The seas were calmer.So a long boat had no problem.

Then came the "Mini Ice age"...in no time at all,those colony's were abandoned. they ate all the live stock,subsisted on fish,but even Vikings had to give up!This Mini Ice Age lasted till into the 1700s.Ever wonder why it was so dam cold in Vally Forge? or the Delaware Froze,or the British fleet in NYC harbor had to deal with the water freezing? it don't no more.

But we are talking 70,000 yrs ago.a stretch. More than possible sticking close to any coast,on rafts,pulling ashore every night,They could cover distance.We are talking not quick over nite trips,but rather accumulative joinery's over thousands,and millions of years...thanx for letting me "Bloviate"

[theonlygeorgie]

I reckon they did, hell ya! It's something that interests me quite a lot. It's amazing how Mongolians are so similar to Native Americans and Inuits, and that Aborigines are similar to Africans.(In terms of face structure, skin colour). I believe they travelled there on boats! And I highly respect them for it.

Oh, also, I reckon people from north-east Asia walked across the Bering Strait when it was frozen over. Bloody amazing feat to undertake!

[hetrevillion]

Folks just trying to get away from the bad neighbors.