内容简介
They Came Before Columbus reveals a compelling,
dramatic, and superbly detailed documentation of the presence and
legacy of Africans in ancient America. Examining navigation and
shipbuilding; cultural analogies between Native Americans and
Africans; the transportation of plants, animals, and textiles
between the continents; and the diaries, journals, and oral
accounts of the explorers themselves, Ivan Van Sertima builds a
pyramid of evidence to support his claim of an African presence in
the New World centuries before Columbus. Combining impressive
scholarship with a novelist’s gift for storytelling, Van Sertima
re-creates some of the most powerful scenes of human history: the
launching of the great ships of Mali in 1310 (two hundred master
boats and two hundred supply boats), the sea expedition of the
Mandingo king in 1311, and many others. In They Came Before
Columbus, we see clearly the unmistakable face and handprint of
black Africans in pre-Columbian America, and their overwhelming
impact on the civilizations they encountered.