- Hardcover: 288 pages
- Publisher: Random House USA Inc; First Printing edition (31 Dec 1977)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0394402456
- ISBN-13: 978-0394402451
- Product Dimensions: 23.6 x 16 x 2.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,043,427 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Product Description
This book makes it possible for us to see clearly the unmistakable face and handprint of Black Africans in Pre-Columbian America, and their overwhelming impact on the civilization they found here.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Well researched and well written account of little known African achievements in history,
By
This review is from: They Came Before Columbus (Paperback)
This book sets out to present a comprehensive account, based on all known facts, of the links between Africa and America in pre-Columbian times. It draws its facts from archaeological, geographical, cultural and historical sources and succeeds in summarising its conclusions in a simple, readable fashion.
It opens with the account of how Columbus set off to "discover" America on the evidence of a pre-existing route linking Africa with another continent across the Atlantic. Columbus' subsequent discovery of handkerchiefs in the "New World", similar in style and use to those found in Sierra Leone, constitutes one of the earliest documented traces of a preceding African presence in America. Sertima goes on to examine in detail a littany of other visible proofs that Africans got to America long before Columbus did. These include the accounts of early Spanish explorers who discovered settled black communities in Colombia and Darian (both in South America) in the early sixteenth century and several archaelogical findings of Negroid heads all over America which date to as early as 700 B.C. Sertima comments on the extensiveness of these finds as follows: "Africans move through all their [native Americans'] major periods, from the time of the Olmec culture around 800 B.C when they arrive in massive stone heads, through the medieval Mexico of the Mayas, when they appear not only in terracotta potraits but on golden pectorals and on pipes, down to the late post-Classic period, time of the [European] conquest, when they begin to disappear..." He analyzes a plethora of cultural clues; the existence of Negoid gods among native Americans, similarities in language, totemic symbols, religious rites; sudden appearances of African animal and plant species in America before Columbus; even the sudden appearance, seemingly out of nowhere, of a pyramid-building culture in Mexico at just the time when the Sudanese Pharoahs of Egypt's 25th dynasty were leading an Egyptian cultural renaissance and taking to the seas in search of iron to fend off the expanionist drive of the Assyrain empire. Oral traditions are also examined e.g the common belief among some native American tribes that the oldest inhabitants of Mexico were Negroes and giants, and the Malian tale of a mariner-prince, Abubakari the second, who set off from Mali to explore the Atlantic in 1311. Sertima explains the existence of strong evidence of ancient African boating and sea faring traditions. He also explains the nature of Africa-Atlantic sea currents that make it easy even for the most rudimentary of boats to make the Atlantic passage. This is a well written, well researched and suprisingly easy to read account of one of the ways in which anient African civilizations have contributed to enriching world history. It ends with an ironic observation that, contrary to popular belief, what the evidence shows is that the African began his career in America as a master, and not a slave. This is a fascinating read.
24 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
highly recommendable,
By mark ayers "mark__" (england) - See all my reviews
This review is from: They Came Before Columbus (Paperback)
I loved this book. I bought it mainly to read the evidence of the crossing by sailors from mali. this incredible expidition consisted of hundreds of boats. Other commentators dismissed this as mere drifting a ross the atlantic other by primitive people. The fact is that at the time, the Mali capital timbuktu was famed throughout the world, not just for the gold the fueled teh worlds trade but also for its fine University. not only did aFricans cross the atlanticthe geogrphical knowledge of their society was certainly in advance of 15th centiry Spains.The chapters on ancient Egypt are fascinating too. The existence of huge statue of negro faces seems pretty good evidence that they too crossed. Plant diffusion, linguistic evidence and the similarity of the pyramids also add to a case which Sertima himself admits is not cast iron but points out the fact that it is more likely than alternative explanation like the American Pyramids were built bt aliens. Some people it seems would rather believe this than give Africans any credit for any inputinto the history of humanity.
21 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Excellent Work.,
By A Customer
This review is from: The African Presence (They came before Columbus) (Hardcover)
This is a very well written book. As a Mexican, my people (mestizo, Indian, or white) owe more to the Spanish than any other culture. However, we also owe to our Indian ancestors. After reading Mr. Van Sertima's text, there is very little cause for going against his argument. Now, I'm not saying that Africans developed this continent, but surely they contributed their fair share into this true melting pot we call the Americas. And also, I think people shouldn't dismiss the advances made by the ancient Africans. Credit should be given where it's deserved, but I think that the author can do a better job at this. The FACTS that he presents are well organized and usually very detailed. If one feels that he is not presenting something with accuracy, he or she can always look up each subject independently and see that he is right. This book should go down in history as a classic. This, I believe, is the tip of the iceberg on the subject of African exploration in ancient times. There is so much we don't know, and the thought of future developments on this is very exciting.
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