Forget Columbus, and even Zheng He—what if the real pioneers of oceanic exploration were crafting boats and navigating open waters tens of thousands of years earlier? While controversial theories may suggest Chinese fleets may have reached the Americas in the 1300s–1400s (based largely on the debunked, forgery Menzies Map), a far more ancient and evidence-backed story is unfolding. Recent discoveries in Southeast Asia reveal that early humans were not only capable of building seaworthy vessels, but may have crossed vast distances to colonize the prehistoric supercontinent of Sahul over 50,000 years ago.
In this video, we dig into a timeline that reaches far beyond recorded history, highlighting 40,000-year-old tools, early boatbuilding mastery, and astonishing clues about our ancestors’ forgotten voyages across ancient seas hundreds of thousands of years ago. Are we just scratching the surface of a lost maritime legacy? Dive in and see how deep the story really goes… 🌍⚓