Why the legendary Explorer Thor Heyerdahl searched the home of the Vikings in the Rostov region
Norwegian Explorer Thor Heyerdahl became famous for his travels that debunked historical myths. Journey on the balsa Heyerdahl "Kon-Tiki" papyrus "RA" and "RA-2", cane "the Tigris" proved that the last man of the sea is not a barrier, and the road to new lands. All his life, Heyerdahl had studied the statues of Easter island, the pyramids of the Incas, the peoples of Polynesia and at the end of life turned to the myths of his native Norway.
In the XII century Icelandic skald — poet-singer Snorri Sturluson wrote "the Yngling Saga", which told the story of the 31st generation of Scandinavian kings, who lived before the ninth century. Snorri argued that the first rulers came from the East, namely from the city of AZ-Hof, located at the mouth of the Tana — as the Greeks called the river don. Thor Heyerdahl decided to look at the Saga of the Icelandic skald, not as a myth but as a documentary source of information. After examining her, he began to defend the theory that One God is a real character, who was the king of a tribe of the Aesir and led his people to Scandinavia.
To develop a theory of the origin of the Azov Vikings Heyerdahl began with the writer and the historians Pen Lillestrom. In 2000, their assumptions, Heyerdahl set out in his book "In pursuit of Odin. In the footsteps of our past". In an interview with the traveler said,
On the coast they boarded the boats and headed to Sweden, which at that time was inhabited by backward tribes. Aces conquered the local population and imparted their civilization. After the death of the chief One became a legend and became belligerent, but the wise God of the Vikings.
The scientific community this hypothesis did not take seriously, as before that made fun of the article "Columbus and the Vikings". In 1978 in London, Heyerdahl wrote that the Norsemen landed in America long before Columbus. Bold theory of the traveler was only confirmed 20 years later.
On your 85th birthday of Thor Heyerdahl decided to visit Russia. All costs for future expedition he has undertaken. In 2000 in the city of Azov, began archaeological excavations, which were attended by Norwegian scientists and specialists of Rostov state University and the Azov historical-archeological and paleontological Museum-reserve.
For two months the expedition raised from the ground to 35 thousand artifacts. Dug dug the time of the storming of the Turkish fortress the Russian army and the medieval quarters of the ancient Turkish fortress Azak. Evidence of the connection of the Azov sea and Scandinavia was found during the excavation of the three Scandinavian buckle of the times of the Vikings.
To continue research prevented the death of Thor Heyerdahl 18 April 2002. He died at 87 years of age and until his last days he retained a clear mind and continued to defend the hypothesis of the Azov origin of Odin. In science new theories are often accepted with hostility, and the only time they are acknowledged as real. So it was with finds on the banks of the river Tollense where in the bronze age there was a superb battle.
Keywords: Archaeology | Norway | Excavations | Scandinavia