They Came Before Columbus: The African Presence in Ancient America (Journal of African Civilizations)

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this book, to everyone. It is very interesting and informative. A good introduction for those who are interested in the history of Black Africans prior to slavery. It's a good starting point for lots of different areas of further reading including, linguistics, ancient history, Egyptology, archaeology from the standpoint of Black Africans. The underlying theme is that there is evidence of the presence of Black Africans in the Americas prior to Columbus. This is the type of history that should be focused on during so called Black History month. I do not find this book revisionist unlike some of those that have given this book a negative review. I also do not think that the author is disrespectful to the Native American populations. In fact, I find his discussion to be quite balanced. His key message is clearly that there was an African influence on the Native American populations, not that the Africans came and taught the Natives everything they new. The author concludes by stating that all cultures and people as we know them are a melange of different cultures and people. The evidence is there, and Van Sertima presents this evidence. Why is it so hard for some people (i.e. the negative reviewers) to have a discussion about the African race without getting emotional and upset about it? It is 2020, and African/Black influence on all other cultures is still thriving (ref. cultural appropriation anyone?): dress, hair, music, religion, the way we speak, food, the way we walk, the way we dance, the way we sing etc. etc. so why is it so hard for people to believe the influence of Blacks on other cultures in the ancient period? Why are you so offended?

Interesting book. It’s new with good quality paper, highly recommended

My husband loved it. Very Educational and informative.

You cannot learn everything in school! The educational institutions are established to give everyone in that society, nation, and/or empire; a standard education. So, if you travel or move to another district, to another city, or to another nation; all of the education officials will know exactly what you learned, and will value your education, your certificate, and your diploma. I understand this. I got the, 'sailing bug', for four years, from 2005-2008. I discovered that maritime history is not taught in the United Sates educational system. We won the American Revolution because the American sailors in the northeast, called privateers, captured the British ships and gave their weapons to George Washington and The Continental Congress. We won the War of 1812 because of the battles that our ships fought in the Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico, the Mississippi River, and the Great Lakes. This is also not taught in school. You should also read a book called, 'COD' (as in codfish). A growing British colony had to feed itself and its sailors, and had to trade for its goods and supplies. The unbelievable information in this book, 'COD', is about how the northern colonies used a fish to become an economic powerhouse. This information is also not taught in school. I went on vacation in 2009. My travel agent, in our historical discussions, told me that there has always been global trade, that there has always been globalizaton. But I realized that our educational system primarily focuses on Western civilization and the northern hemisphere; which is OK. The book of this review, 'They came before Columbus', is about a larger, unwritten, aspect of globalization, international trade, and the influence of the Africian empires on the people of the Western hemisphere. This realization is absolutely fabulous! It is always wonderful to find out how disciplined, intelligent, and creative, Africian people were, outside of our own historical and educational, 'perspective'; and how the Africian empires used their abilities to summon resources, to travel, to explore, and to teach other people, who lived far distances from the center of their own empire. Keep up the good work. This is a fabulous book! Take care. Abdullah.

A dose of reality in a country built on lies!

Cant tell much yet since i just started reading but already like it

What a great book for reading reflecting and as a resource.

It has proof of evidence, from historic journals, events etc, that show that Africans and mesoamercica have a shared culture and similarities. More so, that it has all happened before Columbus. A lot of people do not people that those of any other skin color besides one specific, that they were incompetent of many intellectual capabilities of life before colonization. This book questions that. It is no pseudoscience. It is taking history from before Columbus and proving exactly what the title says. And it is not hearsay. It is crediting those who have actually studied, discovered, and have personally been to these historic sites and have given us the work from which they have done, seen, and proven to be correct. Before each chapter ends it gives references and resources to these very people. Ivan just made it easier for us to get an all-in-one experience from all of the references. And people says it been debunked, yeah from people who do not want to accept that this world was far more evolved and advanced before colonization. And it is not discrediting natives from their own cultural advances, it shows what has been shared among that. If you read this with an open mind, you will understand.

Sehr gut

Ce livre est une des références concernant les peuples noirs de l'antiquité et leur apport civilisationnel aux amérindiens d'Amérique centrale et du sud.

O livro está em perfeito estado. Traz informações sobre a influência africana na arte e cultura da América do Sul.

The information in this book is an interesting and informative read for individuals seeking not solely an Afro perspective but a HISTORICAL perspective that answered the quuestion " Did African people make the journey to the Americas before Columbus ?.....SPOILER ALERT......LOOK AT THE TITLE!!

Since reading this awesome book I will share the following information acquired from They Came Before Colombus: Contrary to popular writings earlier voyages across the Atlantic were achieved by West Africans believed to be of the Mandingo tribe who arrived during the BC period until the 1300 era. These tribes arrived and provided their own agriculture whilst the others would practice trade as a living which would see them journey as nomadic tribes throughout central and South America. As traders, it would be impossible for these traders to have a settlement unlike the others who would arrive and cultivate the land and build their homes based on skills acquired in Africa to build and construct such homes in Texcoco's Mexico. The Mandingo traders however would find temporary residence where ever they went as nomadic tribes and would set up bases in hostile locations as their defense within the Americas. These were built in a circular way whilst having two gardens and a gate between the walls outside of their residence. The voyage to the Americas was assisted by two different types of currents. Those were the Guinea current and the Canary current. For now I will explain the first current focusing on just the guinea current and will update later on the canary current. This particular current was located on the Guinea coast and moved in an easterly direction continuously going out towards the sea where it would connect with the South Equatorial current. The Northern portion of the South Equatorial current would meet with the North Equatorial current located in the Mid Atlantic which was 25-50 degrees west latitude depending on the season. The amazing thing was that the Guinea current although it moved in the wrong direction always frequently and naturally met with the South Equatorial current which moved in the right direction. These two currents were known to be fast flowing and of course would compliment the speed of travel for boats used by Africans on their voyage towards the Atlantic during this pre- Colombus period. To support evidence that a civilization of Africans existed in Mexico, Olmec heads otherwise known as head stones were escavated in the year 1854 but due to limited methods in carbon dating it was impossible to conclusively date these stone heads made of clay at the time. But once the emergence of improved methods to dating had arrived by the 1960s these Olmec heads that weighed 4 -10 tons were dated back to 800-600 BC. Therefore we can conclude based on results from carbon dating that African's were in the Americas as early as the BC period. An historian by the name of Manuel Orozco Y Berra made reference to these Olmec heads in his book entitled Ancient History of the conquest of Mexico written in 1854. These Olmec heads resembled strong African features exhibited in their broad noses and thick lips assembled in these sculptures and were preserved and placed in galleries although it were not possible for all of these to be preserved.