The date of the discovery of Antarctica was shifted a thousand years into the past
People could have conquered Antarctica much earlier than official records say. It is known that this continent was discovered in 1820 by a Russian expedition, and a year later sailors from the whaling ship Cecilia landed on its land.
But, according to New Zealand researchers, representatives of the indigenous Maori tribe became the discoverers of Antarctica, and this happened long before the 19th century. The authors of the scientific work analyzed oral traditions, as well as studies, reports, technical papers and other materials, according to the Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand.
“We have found that a connection with Antarctica and its waters has existed since the earliest traditional travel,” the scientists said.
Sources say that at the beginning of the seventh century AD, the Polynesian leader Hui Te Rangiora, along with his subjects, set sail for the south. They were probably the first people to see Antarctic waters. This happened a thousand years before the expedition of Lazarev and Bellingshausen.
“Hui Te Rangiora and his team continued south. Far south. However, they were probably the first people to see Antarctic waters and, possibly, the continent, ”the study says.
Scientists noted that Maori continued to take part in Antarctic expeditions. A man named Te Atu is believed to be the first Maori and the first New Zealander to see the coast of Antarctica in 1840 as part of the United States Research Group. The Maori were also part of the “Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration” in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, helping Europeans.
Previously, scientists have reconstructed the history of the birth of Antarctica. The study showed that after this, a global ice age began on Earth.
