“As
there were no native species of monkey in Bronze Age Greece, it was always
known that these lively fellows were exotic imports. However, most artwork from
the period that features monkeys involve species native to Egypt, which was far
closer to home and had an established trade network with ancient Greece.”
So,
we have Indus Valley monkeys on a Greek wall painting from 1,700 B.C. Ancient
peoples traveled farther than has been believed. Why disbelieve distant and
dangerous travels by people who did not know what lay over the horizon, but
were willing to find out?
Our
own ancestors from only 250 years past made journeys into the unknown, spurred
on by a quest for land. Earlier travelers sought riches.
In
the 18th and 19th centuries, my wife’s and my ancestors traveled long distances
by foot and some by wagon. From Virginia to Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois,
Missouri, the Chickasaw Nation and then to Texas, looking for a land of their
own, and freedom to do as they wanted.
For
some time, archaeology was considered settled. Experts defined the limits of
human achievement. The experts, though, failed to consider one important aspect
of humanity: Nothing can hem in peoples’ desire to find more and to do more.
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