Why the legendary researcher Tour Heyerdal was looking for the homeland of the Vikings in the Rostov region

Norwegian researcher Tour Heyerdal became famous for his travels, which debunked historical myths. Heyerdahl’s travels on the balsa “Kon-Tiki”, the papyrus “Ra” and “RA-2”, the reed “Tigris” proved that for the man the past Sea is not an obstacle, but the road to new lands. All his life Heyerdal studied the statues of Easter Island, the Inca pyramids, the peoples of Polynesia, and at sunset of life turned to the myths of his native Norway.

One – the path from the leader to the gods

In the XII century, the Icelandic Skald, the poet, Snorri Sturlurson wrote “The Saga of Inglings”, in which he told the history of the 31st generation of the Scandinavian kings that lived until the 9th century. Snorri claimed that the first rulers came from the east, namely from the city of Az-Khof, located at the mouth of Tanya-as the Greeks called the Don River. The tour Heyerdal decided to look at the Icelandic scald saga not as a myth, but as a documentary source of information. Having studied it, he began to defend the theory according to which God alone was a real character, which was the king of the Azov tribe and brought his people into Scandinavia.

Heyerdal began to develop the theory of the Azov origin of the Vikings, together with the writer and historians, Per Lillestrem. In 2000, Heyerdal set out his assumptions in the book “In pursuit of Odin. In the wake of our past. ” In an interview, the traveler said:

“Look, Snorri Sturluusson points to our place and time. He says that Odin had a kingdom at the mouth of the Tana River. On the left bank. And the people were called the people of the aces. So, here was the native land of Odin, here lived alone as a real human being. He fought with neighboring tribes and sometimes won, sometimes lost. But when the Roman army came, he decided to leave his kingdom. “

Referring to the texts and maps of Snorri, Heyerdal claimed that in the lower Don there was a city of Az-Gof, founded by the tribe of Ases. When formidable Roman legions came to the Black Sea region, the leader alone took his people to the north first, and then turned west. Through the land of the Saxons, Asas went to the island of Fun in Denmark.

On the seashore, they moved to boats and headed to Sweden, which at that time was inhabited by backward tribes. The aces conquered the local population and instilled their civilization to them. After death, the leader one turned into a legend and became a warlike but wise god of the Vikings.

Heyerdal in Russia

The scientific community did not take this hypothesis seriously, as the article “Columbus and Vikings” made fun of. In 1978, in London, Heyerdal wrote that the Scandinavians landed in America long before Columbus. The bold theory of the traveler was confirmed only after 20 years.

On his 85th anniversary, the tour Heyerdal decided to visit Russia. He took on all expenses for a future expedition. In 2000, archaeological excavations began in the city of Azov, in which Norwegian scientists and specialists of the Rostov State University and the Azov historical-archaeological and paleontological museum-reserve participated.

For two months of work, the expedition raised 35 thousand artifacts from the ground. They dug a dugout from the assault on the Turkish fortress by the Russian army and the medieval quarters of the ancient Turkish fortress Azak. The proof of the connection of the Azov and Scandinavia became the three Scandinavian bucks found during the excavations of the Viking era.

The death of Tour Heyerdal from April 18, 2002 prevented the study. He died at the age of 87 and until the last days remained clarity of the mind and continued to defend the hypothesis of the Azov origin of Odin. In academic science, new theories are often accepted with hostility, and only over time they are recognized as real. So it was with finds on the banks of the Tollenze River, where a grand battle took place in the Bronze Age.

See also:
Voronezh village of Kostenki: the homeland of the first Europeans,
Blondes from Africa: why are the people of Guanchi considered the descendants of the Atlanteans,
Sexy traditions of the Vikings: Why is the old partner better than the young