Trips of Portugese sailors to America before Cristobal Colon (Columbus) "discovered" the continent
Around the times of 500th anniversary of the "discovery of America" by Cristobal Colon (Columbus), German TV channel ZDF showed a documentary film named "Forget about Columbus".
Several examples of earlier expeditions to America were mentioned.
That the Phoenicians reached the coast of Northern Brazil in 500 BC, is possible, but not definitively prooved yet. About Chinese monks (California, 400 AC), Irish monks (Canada via Greenland, 800 AC) and the Vikings (Nova Scotia, actual Canada, about 1100 AC, rests of Viking villages found in Canada), things are clear.
But the documentary film also mentioned, that Portugese National Archives in Lissabon disposed "detailed maps of North American coastal regions, drawn before the 1st expedition of Columbus". According to the German TV journalists, the reasons of the King of Portugal, to refuse Cristobal Colons demand on support for his plans, were, that the Portugese already knew by those times, that the theory of "the shortest way to India by sailing to West", was wrong. But if Portugese crown knew it definitively before 1492, this would mean, that Portugese ships reached the coasts of North America earlier in 15th, maybe even 14th century.
As I am very interested in history, I would be glad, if somebody could give me more details, maybe even exact dates.
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Several examples of earlier expeditions to America were mentioned.
That the Phoenicians reached the coast of Northern Brazil in 500 BC, is possible, but not definitively prooved yet. About Chinese monks (California, 400 AC), Irish monks (Canada via Greenland, 800 AC) and the Vikings (Nova Scotia, actual Canada, about 1100 AC, rests of Viking villages found in Canada), things are clear.
But the documentary film also mentioned, that Portugese National Archives in Lissabon disposed "detailed maps of North American coastal regions, drawn before the 1st expedition of Columbus". According to the German TV journalists, the reasons of the King of Portugal, to refuse Cristobal Colons demand on support for his plans, were, that the Portugese already knew by those times, that the theory of "the shortest way to India by sailing to West", was wrong. But if Portugese crown knew it definitively before 1492, this would mean, that Portugese ships reached the coasts of North America earlier in 15th, maybe even 14th century.
As I am very interested in history, I would be glad, if somebody could give me more details, maybe even exact dates.
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viva_peron
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| | | | | | About the reply of nice_guy:
Indeed, your reply remembers me a bit to a presumed arrival of the Phoenicians at the Brazilian coast (probably Amazonas region) in 500 BC. The theory, also presented in the German TV documentation, I refered to in my posting (ZDF Channel, Terra X: "Vergesst Kolumbus" - Forget about Columbus (Colon)), said, that a Phoenician fleet passed Gibraltar, intending to sail along the coast of West Africa and finally, they lost their route due to heavy storms between African coast and Canary Islands. So, the Gulf Stream transported the Phoenician ships to Brazil. But the definitive proof for it is still missing.
According to German TV, Portugese sailors knew much more details about coastal regions of America, than just actual Brazil, before Columbus. German journalists even were welcomed to National Portugese Archives in Lissabon and like this, they were able to take historical cards of America, drawn by Portugese before Columbus.
So far as I remember the TV report, the historical maps clearly showed important parts of the Eastern coast of actual USA ! At least, German TV reporters said, that the maps would show some Eastern coastal regions of North America.
As this is an important contradiction to the reply of nice_guy, I ask, whether there are indeed such clear indications, that the Portugese reached North America before Colon (Columbus), or whether we have to presume more likely a wrong information due to bad analyzes of the historical maps concerned.
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Indeed, your reply remembers me a bit to a presumed arrival of the Phoenicians at the Brazilian coast (probably Amazonas region) in 500 BC. The theory, also presented in the German TV documentation, I refered to in my posting (ZDF Channel, Terra X: "Vergesst Kolumbus" - Forget about Columbus (Colon)), said, that a Phoenician fleet passed Gibraltar, intending to sail along the coast of West Africa and finally, they lost their route due to heavy storms between African coast and Canary Islands. So, the Gulf Stream transported the Phoenician ships to Brazil. But the definitive proof for it is still missing.
According to German TV, Portugese sailors knew much more details about coastal regions of America, than just actual Brazil, before Columbus. German journalists even were welcomed to National Portugese Archives in Lissabon and like this, they were able to take historical cards of America, drawn by Portugese before Columbus.
So far as I remember the TV report, the historical maps clearly showed important parts of the Eastern coast of actual USA ! At least, German TV reporters said, that the maps would show some Eastern coastal regions of North America.
As this is an important contradiction to the reply of nice_guy, I ask, whether there are indeed such clear indications, that the Portugese reached North America before Colon (Columbus), or whether we have to presume more likely a wrong information due to bad analyzes of the historical maps concerned.
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viva_peron
it's not a contradiction i just told u how we got to brasil... by mistake... wat im sure of is that after brasil was discovered we surely made more trips to see wat was near brasil and eventually found america (usa) and of course made maps out of all trips and kept secret to the world...
@Mod
This topic can get more views in the History Channel.
This topic can get more views in the History Channel.
The question is not, whether this topic would get more views in history channel, but who could deliver the informations, I asked for. Apparently, quite unknown departments of Portugese National Archives are concerned. So I doubt, that anybody who is not familiar with Portugese language and history could answer my question.
Besides, the moderator of Austria Channel recently decided, to transfer a topic of mine, relating to the events of March 1938 ("connection of Austria to 3rd Reich", or better occuopation) from Austria Channel to history channel, as "it was all about history". But indeed, it is a matter only concerning 2 countries. And so, mailfriends users who are neither German nor Austrian, mostly don't care at all about this story.
And I am afraid, if the topic about Portugese sailors would be transfered to history channel, the result would be the same, as the topic concerns indeed only one nation directly.
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Besides, the moderator of Austria Channel recently decided, to transfer a topic of mine, relating to the events of March 1938 ("connection of Austria to 3rd Reich", or better occuopation) from Austria Channel to history channel, as "it was all about history". But indeed, it is a matter only concerning 2 countries. And so, mailfriends users who are neither German nor Austrian, mostly don't care at all about this story.
And I am afraid, if the topic about Portugese sailors would be transfered to history channel, the result would be the same, as the topic concerns indeed only one nation directly.
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viva_peron
we knew about "america" continent when , by accident, we had a detour in one of the trips around africa, that eventually led to brasil...
alot more i can say bout this... but not now when im sleepy contact me if u wanna know more and we can talk by skype...