|
Had
Romans already been in America?
Entering
in the House
of the Ephebe, on the lararium on the right it is
represented a sacrifice’s scene: the Genius that makes the sacrifice
is represented in the action of making an unusual offer, a fruit of
pineapple. In a painting preserved at the National
Archaeological Museum in Napoles
are
represented some sprigs with leaves and fruits of mango. It is
necessary to remember that mango is aboriginal of southern
Asia, while
pineapple is aboriginal of tropical America.
How
to explain the presence of these fruits in Pompeian paintings? Pliny
refers that the Roman merchants, incited by good earnings, found a very
short way for India across Nile
River, the Red Sea and the
Arabic Desert; the whole run was completed in ninetyfour days. But such
explanation can be worth for the mango. How to explain the presence of
pineapple, aboriginal fruit of America, in Pompeian paintings?
It’s
strong the temptation to admit some intercontinental relationships, in
classical epoch, perhaps through the Atlantic islands between Brazil
and Africa. Besides, how can’t we remain impressed from some unusual
analogies between the ancient Egyptian monuments and those that the
populations of pre – Columbian America had left shed in the Andes’
countries from Mexico to Peru?
An
U.S. archaeologist thinks that pre – Incas civilization was promoted
by Phoenician colonizers jointed in America around
2000 B.C.. This
affirmation is based on ancient inscriptions with graphic signs very
similar to the archaic writing of Sumeri and based on numerous
other signs, for exemple the representation on ancient Peruvian vases
of a bearded man with a strong aquiline nose of type hittita.
According
to a German researcher, about a famous extract of Diodoro
Siculo,
Phoenicians would have
discovered and colonized the coast of Brazil around
1100 B.C.. Their
domination would have lasted for a long time; in the 331 Alexander the
Great would have sent to South – America a fleet to appropriate of
colonial Phoenician empire, but without having success. After the
destruction of Carthago, the relationships between Africa and America
would have loosen up to stop entirely toward the end of the I century
A.D..
Till
which point such historical reconstructions are reliable? It’s
difficult to say. Meanwhile, the representation of pineapple stays
there, undeniable and puzzling documents, in the paintings of unearthed
Pompeii.
|
Italiano
E-mail
