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Science Frontiers ONLINE No. 46: Jul-Aug 1986 |
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Early chinese contacts with australia?
Readers of SF will recall three separate articles in recent issues relating to the Australian "pyramids." In the final analysis, these "pyramids" did not seem to be pyramids at all, at least in the archeological sense. All of this pyramid excitement was precipitated by Rex Gilroy, an amateur Australian archeologist. Well, Gilroy is at it again. This time he claims to have evidence of ancient Chinese visits to Australia -- long before the Dutch explorers and Captain Cook. Although our Australian contacts have warned us about Gilroy, and his "pyramid" evidence has been debunked, his latest data should at least be laid open for inspection, with caveats attached of course.
Since China is much closer to Australia than Egypt, and the way is paved with handy islands, early Chinese contacts would not be as anomalous at Egyptian-built pyramids.
Gilroy's latest claims are:
(1) A carved stone head unearthed near Milton, NSW, seems to represent a Chinese goddess. (2) An old Chinese record, Atlas of Foreign Countries, describes the north coast of a great land to the south inhabited by pygmies, evidence for which has been found in Queensland. (3) A 6th. Century copper Chinese scroll includes a crude map of Australia. A 2000-year-old vase also seems to show another crude map of this island continent. (4) In 1948, fragments of Ming porcelain were dug up on Winchelsea Island. Some 35 years ago, a jade Buddah was unearthed near Cooktown, Queensland.
As these data as legitimate and convincing as Gilroy claims? We will await further communications from Down Under.
(Gilroy, Rex; "Were the Chinese First to Discover Australia?" Australasian Post, May 1, 1986. Cr. A.L. Jones.)