At the end of the fifteenth century, the Spanish navigator Christopher Columbus, with his expedition, reached North America’s shores, mistakenly believing that he had arrived in India. It was the beginning of the era of the discovery, development, and research of America. However, some researchers consider this date inaccurate, insisting that the new continent was discovered much earlier. The first information about the existence of a new continent, later called America, appeared in the prehistoric period.
The first to settle in America about 15 thousand years ago were people from Asia. In the Pleistocene epoch, a narrow corridor was formed between Russia and Alaska due to the melting of ice. The so-called land bridge between the western coast of Alaska and Siberia, or the Bering Isthmus, connected Asia and North America. The Paleo-Indians, the ancient settlers of America, arrived from Asia to America across the Bering Isthmus following prey – large animals (Jones, 2017). In the future, the settlement of America already took place by the sea or on ice. When the ice age ended and the ice plates melted, the settlers who arrived in America were isolated from other continents. They later became the Native American peoples.
According to popular Irish legend, in the 6th century, a group of Irish monks led by Saint Brendan traveled by boat searching for new lands. Seven years later, the monks returned home and said they had discovered a lush land that is now Newfoundland. However, there is no clear evidence to support the fact that Irish monks not only saw but also visited the coast of North America. In 1976, British traveler Tim Severin decided to prove that such a trip was possible (Jones, 2017). He made a replica of the monastic ship and sailed from Ireland to North America following the route described and reached Canada.
In 984, the Scandinavian navigator Eric Krasus discovered Greenland as a result of exploring ancient sea routes. In 999, his son, Leif Eriksson, sailed from Greenland to Norway. In about 1000, Leif Erikson reached North America on a trip across the Atlantic Ocean (Jones, 2017). There, on the territory of the modern Canadian island of Newfoundland, he founded a Norwegian settlement. Because of the abundance of vineyards on this land, the Vikings named the settlement “Vinland,” which means “Grape land” in English. But Erickson and his team did not stay there for a long time due to hostile relations with the indigenous North Americans. In 1960, Helge Ingstad, a Norwegian archaeologist, found at the northern tip of Newfoundland the first European Viking settlement of the late 11th century, which is identical to the settlements in the Scandinavian countries. This historical and archaeological site, called “L’Ans aux Meadows,” scientists recognize as evidence of transoceanic contacts before Columbus.
In the debate “who discovered America,” even facts about the Chinese visit to America emerge. A Chinese explorer named Zheng He, who commanded an armada of wooden sailing ships in the early 15th century, discovered the continent in 1421. He was heading for the east coast of the United States and is believed to have established settlements in South America. This theory is based on evidence from ancient shipwrecks, data from Chinese and European maps, and reports compiled by navigators of the time. However, the theory is in doubt. Thus, numerous theories are proving that Columbus was not the first to discover America.
Reference
Jones, J. W. (2017). Divers voyages touching the discovery of America and the islands adjacent. Routledge.