Was Intercontinental trade possible
14,000 jears
ago ?

The northern route from America to Europe

Kon-Tiki,
Ra and Abora 2

A SHIP THAT DRINKS

Reed boat construction according to Stone Age design

The planned route of ABORA 3

ABORA 3 – an archeological adventure of modern times

Schedule of the ABORA 3 expedition

Expedition leader and project management

SAILING AGAINST POPULAR OPINION:
THE KON-TIKI, RA AND ABORA II PROVED
IMPORTANT FORERUNNERS

of modern shipping archaeology. We have Thor Heyerdahl’s expeditions to thank for supporting the maritime abilities of prehistoric civilizations. Heyerdahl strove to prove that a close cultural exchange took place across the seas as early as the Stone Age. His groundbreaking expeditions with the Kon-Tiki (1946/47), Ra I und II (1969/70) and the Tigris (1977/78) showed that ocean crossings - even over thousands of miles - were not impossible, nor the distances insurmountable barriers. However, Heyerdahl’s successes did not trigger any rethinking among scientists - their criticism was that his boats sailed only across the seas downwind and with the currents. Nor, the critics claim, have any other experimental archaeologists attempted to return to the starting point of an expedition against the wind.

This supported their view that no regular commercial transactions were conducted across the sea in prehistoric times.

The German experimental archaeologist, Dominique Goerlitz, sails against this expert opinion. In 2002 his project group, ABORA II, was able to prove on the demanding Mediterranean that Stone-Age yachtsmen were not only able to tack up to 70° upwind, but were also able to sail back to the starting point of the trip in a closed arc. Though no scientist believes that a primeval rush-raft could sail against the wind, Goerlitz’s expeditions make a strong argument for such manoeuvring.