Why not just attributed to the Phoenicians - the ancient inhabitants of Lebanon and Palestine! And the creation of the first in history of the alphabet, and the invention of Magenta, and some even call them the first merchants. But some researchers that was not enough. They put forward a rather interesting theory that the Phoenicians visited the shores of the New world for three thousand years before Columbus, and at the same time get assigned priority in the discovery of Brazil, India, and imports from South America to Egypt tobacco and cocaine. In the proof of the theory of opening by the Phoenicians South America, supporters of lead found in the forests of the Amazon pale-skinned, blue-eyed Indians supposedly descendants of the Phoenicians.

Only Australia was still not known glorious ancient people. And that's just the opening of the Olympic games in Sydney this omission was corrected Amateur archeologist from Brisbane - Val Osborn. He believes that the Phoenicians not only visited the Green continent, but even established in the area of Brisbane (stata kvislend) trading station with its cemetery, Church, surrounded by stone walls port and sculptures, some of which has already moved to a collection of antique lovers.

Osborn says that the Australian government for more than 40 years knows about this fact, but out of fear to spoil the already tense relations with the natives keep the information confidential.

Strangely enough, but the worst theory Osborne met not just anywhere, but in the homeland of the ancient Phoenicians in Lebanon.

"While we have no evidence that the Phoenicians crossed the Atlantic, not to mention to get to Australia, " says Helen Sader, Professor at the American University in Beirut and one of the greatest experts on the history of the Phoenicians, so we will treat this theory as not very serious."

But is it really a fantastic hypothesis Shaft Osborne? The usual interpretation of historical events have repeatedly proven wrong.

The relief with the image of the Phoenician ship

Also laughed once, and over the proponents of the theory that the Vikings 500 years ahead of Columbus and first discovered the New world. Laughed until 1962 until Newfoundland was not found camp brave northerners, and not temporary, but permanent - the cemetery and marks of agricultural activities.

Well, in response Helen Sader and her supporters say the navigation equipment of the Vikings was more modern Phoenician. Though both were guided primarily by the stars, but the Vikings have used a primitive compasses, and the ships of the Scandinavians were better suited for long-distance voyages.

True, the Phoenicians were afraid to go out into the open sea and preferred to keep the shore, so that if anything was possible to replenish stocks of food and water in one of his numerous colonies, literally covering the Mediterranean sea.

The most remote points of floats these enterprising merchants historians believe the English Peninsula of Cornwall, where the Phoenicians bought the tin, and the Atlantic coast of Morocco, where they founded a trading colony in Medina.

Indeed, to cross the Atlantic or to get to Australia, to stock up on food and water during quite a long voyage. Well, you can eat and fish, but here's how to replenish stocks of drinking water?

The statement that our ancestors could not make long voyages on the open seas and oceans, is the basis of many traditional theories of history. However, 50 years ago it was denied.

In 1947, Norwegian Explorer Thor Heyerdahl was released on made from a reed boat from Peru and, breaking the nearly 7,000 km for 101 days, got to Polynesia.

In 1970, the same Heyerdahl built Egyptian papyrus new boat and went to her across the Atlantic ocean. He came out of the Moroccan port, by the way, not far from the Phoenician colony Mogador, and 57 days came to an Barbados, having measured 6000 100 km.

If Heyerdahl was able to swim across the Atlantic, why such a journey could not do the Phoenicians? Himself Norwegian was sure that the pioneers of America are not Columbus and not the Vikings, and the Phoenicians.

The opponents of this theory say that.

Vikings, going to Newfoundland from voyages around their colonies in Iceland and Greenland knew that on the other side of the Atlantic ocean lies unknown the land. Evidence that it knew and Phoenicians, no. Swim same aimlessly and it's unclear why it is not accepted until this day.

With this argument does not agree famous American geologist Marc Macmenamin, who argues that the Phoenicians also knew about the existence of the earth on the other side of the Atlantic, and India. That Macmenamin, a scientist with the world name, which opened recently in Mexico, the most ancient in a history of mankind fossils, no fun, no doubt.

His amazing discovery Macmenamin did, studying gold coins, cast in Carthage, the largest Phoenician colonies, between 350 and 320 BCE Sekaninova coins and looking at them on the screen, he noticed that at the bottom end of coins random, at first glance, the patterns from scratch and points surprisingly coincide with the cards known to the ancient world of the Greek geographer Ptolemy. The only difference is that on the coins there are images of America, which on the map of the ancient Greek not.

After the opening of Mark Macmenamin completely different, you can understand the words of Diodorus Sicilian, who wrote about 100 BC that "far from Africa is an island of considerable size that the Phoenicians accidentally opened during the voyage around this continent".

Around 600 BC Pharaoh Necho ordered the Phoenicians to go into the Red sea and return to the Mediterranean. The voyage lasted 3 years. Every autumn the brave sailors in to shore, tilled the soil, sowed a grain, and in the spring harvest, after which he again set off.

If to take into account the fact that from the West coast of Africa to the coast of South America path is much shorter than from Morocco to Barbados that in these waters dominate Western sea currents, finally, to consider the knowledge of the Phoenicians about America, there is no doubt: they might as well cross the Atlantic, as it was done by 2.5 thousand years later Thor Heyerdahl.

"If to circumnavigate Africa, the Phoenicians went 3 years, asks Helen Sader - then how many years they would have spent on a voyage to Australia? And if he is right, why, leaving traces of their presence on the continent, they did the same in India, or, say, Indonesia?"

To such questions Val Osborn says that evidence stay there Phoenicians simply not found yet. He believes that with time his theory can be proved by archaeologists.