Debunking the Kon-Tiki, Incas-in-Polynesia Theory
Submitted by Robert Daeley on Tue, 2003-04-01 01:00.
For Kon-Tiki Theory, Ray of Hope Is Dashed
A team of archaeologists and geneticists have further explored the theory that ancient Incas could have traveled to Polynesia and settled it. (New York Times: Science)
The explorer Thor Heyerdahl insisted, contrary to all expert opinion, that Polynesia had been settled by people from South America. He hewed balsa logs with his own hands, persuaded five companions to join him and courageously sailed his raft the Kon-Tiki from Callao, Peru, to the Raroia atoll in Polynesia, a journey of 4,300 miles.
His imaginative voyage proved that ancient Incas could have traveled to Polynesia with the means that they had available. But did they in fact do so?