Polynesian Rafts, Norse Gods, and Azerbaijani Petroglyphs

In 1947, a young Norwegian and five fellow Scandinavians whom he recruited went down to Peru. There they built a raft with balsa wood using traditional Native American techniques. Then they set sail on the raft for French Polynesia. One hundred and one days and eight thousand kilometers later, they reached their destination, demonstrating at least the plausibility of the young Norwegian’s theory that Polynesians originally came from the Americas.

His name was Thor Heyerdahl, and the name of the raft was the Kon-Tiki. The voyage made him a legendary adventurer, even if it didn’t quite prove his ethnological theory.

Decades later, Heyerdahl came up with another theory. This one had to do with his native Norway and the country of Azerbaijan.

The landscape of Qobustan, with view of the Caspian Sea in the distance.

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