"Live Players" with Samo Burja and Erik Torenberg Long History: Civilization Is Older Than We Thought
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Mar 12, 2026 They argue complex societies existed long before farming and writing. Deep seafaring, island colonization, and submerged shorelines rewrite migration stories. Genomics and massacre sites reveal prehistoric population turnovers and organized violence. They warn of lost archives and a digital dark age while proposing tech-driven archaeology to recover hidden history.
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Bamboo Raft Proved Stone Age Voyages Possible
- The First Mariners Project recreated Stone Age sea travel with an 11.4m bamboo raft to show simple craft could cross ocean gaps.
- The project demonstrated practical feasibility for island hops like Bali to the Lesser Sundas, supporting intentional prehistoric voyages.
Ryukyu Finds Show Intentional Long Crossings
- Strong archaeological indicators (23,000-year-old shell fishhooks) point to intentional long-distance island voyages like to the Ryukyu Islands.
- The Ryukyus require ~110 km crossings and include fishing gear, implying purposeful maritime technology and planning.
Americas Were Peopled Earlier And More Complexly
- Genetic and archaeological evidence suggests humans reached the Americas before the Bering Land Bridge era, perhaps ~20–30k years ago.
- White Sands footprints and Amazonian genetic signals imply pre-Siberian arrivals possibly related to Southeast Asian/Melanesian groups.