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Talking About Heyerdahl On Norwegian Radio

By aardvarchaeology on December 6, 2011.

Here I go again, bad-mouthing Thor Heyerdahl to his countrymen. But note that I'm quoted as saying, "Norway is a country that has produced many great archaeologists. Thor Heyerdahl was not one of them." Proud Norwegians, your country is great! And its greatness does not hinge upon the posthumous judgment of that guy with the raft.

Hear the audio clip here.

Update same day: Hehe. Some commenters on the NRK website are offended. One feels that I am just a kid with a lot of opinions, which is rather flattering to this balding father of a teen. Another thinks I'm just trying to become famous in Norway by criticising someone who really deserves fame. A third is of the opinion that Heyerdahl's archaeological credentials are completely irrelevant, and erupts, "Has Rundkvist crossed the Pacific on a raft? ... Rundkvist will die as an unknown man. Maybe with a solid scientific legacy, which will collect dust on some bookshelf somewhere."

Tags
archaeology
norway
Skepticism

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Them's fightin' words...

But the ancients MUST have developed ocean-crossing capabilities. How else could the prophet Mormonai and his fellow Israelites get to North America? (snark)

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V-shaped intendentions? It's shaped by the theropod feet of the aliens, stupid!

By Birger Johansson (not verified) on 07 Dec 2011 #permalink

Yeah, on my bookshelf for one.

Well, maybe the third guy was right, but what is his point? That it is better to waste your time meandering around on the ocean on a raft and die a celebrity than to make a solid contribution and die an anonymous person? I don't think so.

Yeah, Heyerdahl's archaeological credentials are irrelevant, because he proved nothing. He just entertained the world as an adventurer. Hooray. And now he's a dead guy who is a tourist attraction.

By John Massey (not verified) on 07 Dec 2011 #permalink

That guy almost seems to agree with me. He doesn't think Heyerdahl was a great archaeologist. And he doesn't care that the man made pretty big archaeological claims. He only cares about Heyerdahl's adventurous heroism, which is about as interesting to me as that of the last poor silly sod who froze to death halfway up Mount Everest.