What is the Thor Heyerdahl theory?

Heyerdahl argued that the Pacific island world had first been settled by a people referred to as the ‘white bearded men’: a highly civilised Caucasian race group defined by their long-headed crania, fair skin, blue eyes, fair or red hair, tall stature, and beards, as well as their navigation skills, stone carving …

Why did Heyerdahl go to Easter Island?

Heyerdahl is notable for his Kon-Tiki expedition in 1947, in which he sailed 8,000 km (5,000 mi) across the Pacific Ocean in a hand-built raft from South America to the Tuamotu Islands. The expedition was designed to demonstrate that ancient people could have made long sea voyages, creating contacts between societies.

When did Thor Heyerdahl go to Easter Island?

1955-56
Thor Heyerdahl – Sea Routes To Polynesia The famous Norwegian anthropologist Thor Heyerdahl led the first archaeological expedition to Easter Island in 1955-56.

What did Thor Heyerdahl do to try to prove his theory that the Polynesians originally came from South America in the East?

In 1947, Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl had famously voyaged from Peru in South America to the Tuamotu islands in the Pacific on a raft made of balsa wood called the Kon-Tiki to prove that ancient South Americans had settled in Polynesia.

Why is Thor Heyerdahl important?

Thor Heyerdahl, (born October 6, 1914, Larvik, Norway—died April 18, 2002, Colla Micheri, Italy), Norwegian ethnologist and adventurer who organized and led the famous Kon-Tiki (1947) and Ra (1969–70) transoceanic scientific expeditions.

Why was Thor Heyerdahl wrong?

Archaeology has long shown that Polynesian navigators from Asia were the first to settle many, if not all, islands in the regions. Hence, in this case, Thor Heyerdahl was not correct.

What was Thor Heyerdahl trying to prove with the Kon Tiki expedition of 1947?

Heyerdahl wanted to prove his theory that prehistoric South Americans could have colonized the Polynesian islands by drifting on ocean currents.

Who is Heyerdahl and what did he do?

Thor Heyerdahl was a Norwegian explorer and scientist who rose to international fame following his 1947 Kon-Tiki expedition and the subsequent bestselling book and Oscar-winning film of the same name.