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The Ra Expeditions

by Thor Heyerdahl

Other authors: See the other authors section.

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» See also 6 mentions

English (6)  French (1)  Hebrew (1)  Finnish (1)  Hungarian (1)  Catalan (1)  All languages (11)
Showing 1-5 of 6 (next | show all)
Lopulta sain luettua tämän. Ja oli todella hyvä! Ja vielä kun olin nähnyt laivoja Oslon Heyerdahl-museossa, olin todella vaikuttunut. Uskomattomista olosuhteista selvisivät ja todistivat vielä, että on mahdollista, että Afrikasta on purjehdittu Amerikkaan jo ennen viikinkejäkin. Aina ei tieteenteko ole nenä kirjassa istumista :) ( )
  RankkaApina | Feb 22, 2021 |
Poetic prose from the adventurer:

“The huge lake swallowed the sun and the surface of the water glowed for a time like hot metal before it cooled, turning dark blue and then black, while darkness rolled on from the shore, up over the endless woods, over hill, over dale, in an unbroken wave to the world’s end. Africa by night.”

The adventurer waxes philosophical:

“We were beckoned in by a handsome and polite couple who offered us a bowl of freshly brewed 𝘢𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘳, or maize beer. The man’s name was Dagaga and the woman’s Helu. The hut had a trodden clay floor, neat and clean, with a standing loom and enormous sealed ceramic jars, contents unknown. Bottle-gourd vessels and a few home-made tools hung from the crooked beams on the walls; the bed was of skins and the pillow the same little curved wooden neck rest that was used in ancient Egypt. Dagaga and Helu were carefree; they had a minimum of possessions but a maximum of time in which to enjoy them. No refrigerator, but no bills either. No car, but no rush either. What they lacked we would have missed, but not they. What they had was what they needed and what we strive to limit ourselves to when our vacations from the office let us. When, sometime in the near future, the modern world reaches them they will learn much from us and we nothing from them, but that is tragedy for both sides, for both sides assume that we who have the most are wisest, noblest, happiest. Are we?”

The adventurer pounds the nail into scholarly hubris:

“Here I do have a theory: Perhaps we got across because we sailed on the ocean and not on a map.” ( )
  ToddSherman | Apr 24, 2019 |
The author's expedition sets out to prove that ancient civilizations in central America were directly influenced by ancient Egypt - this being made possible by papyrus boats crossing the Atlantic Ocean. However, the expedition has other themes of equal interest, such as ocean pollution, and global affairs. Interesting read. ( )
  kenno82 | Jun 30, 2015 |
Could the ancient Egyptians have reached South America? There are enough clues in archeological remains and in the legends of bearded white men to suggest the possibility.

There is really only one way to determine if that is possible, and that is to recreate a papyrus boat using the paintings in ancient tombs as a guide.

I first read this book many years ago and came back to it recently when I saw a second-hand copy. It holds up very well. Although it is slow to get going, it really gets interesting when they start work on building the boat and is riveting when they are at sea.

There is a point when they are half-way across the Atlantic in the middle of a storm, when you think: "These men are crazy to even attempt sailing a reed boat across the ocean."

The most fascinating aspect of the book is what the journey helps reveal of the sailing and construction details of the ancient Egyptian boats. Details that make no sense on a wall painting suddenly make vital sense after a month at sea. Everything from rope thickness to the way the mast is supported become relevant in the context of sailing a boat that does not have a rigid hull.

Definitely worth reading - if you enjoy this, you'll probably also enjoy 'The Benden Voyage' by Tim Severin, and Heyerdahl's 'Kon Tiki'. ( )
  JudithProctor | Dec 28, 2013 |
Some twenty years after Kon-Tiki, Heyerdahl observed similarities in the ancient cultures of the Olmecs and the Egyptians, and surmised that a reed boat may have long ago crossed the Atlantic Ocean, carrying Egyptian ideas and technologies into South America. So of course, he set out to prove it was a possibility. This book describes the long and tedious route Heyerdahl had to take to get the boat built, his many visits to remote lakes in Africa, his theories and comparisons of the ancient cultures. I was continually astonished by things I read in this book. Papyrus reeds no longer grow in Egypt, so he had to travel to the source of the Nile to find them. He had to go to lake Chad to find people who still knew how to build reed boats (and there the local people live on floating reed islands!) The building crew copied designs meticulously from ancient paintings on the walls of Egyptian tombs, and failed to understand the significance of one rope on the boat, which caused the first Ra to start to fall apart before they made it across the ocean. He had a second boat built, properly this time, which sailed all the way in record time. Amazing. I didn't enjoy it quite as much as Kon-Tiki, but still thrilled to read the account.

from the Dog Ear Diary ( )
  jeane | May 7, 2009 |
Showing 1-5 of 6 (next | show all)
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» Add other authors (24 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Heyerdahl, Thorprimary authorall editionsconfirmed
Kortemeiner, S.Cover designersecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Kulas, HeinzTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Mez, JetteTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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