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Thor Heyerdahl
Life Time
6 October 1914 - 18 April 2002
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Norwegian archaeologist and traveler Thor Heyerdahl was born in Larvik, Norway on October 6, 1914. His father owned his own brewery. Since childhood, his mother instilled in him a love for wildlife, so after school Thor Heyerdahl entered the University in Oslo at the Faculty of Zoology. In addition to the animal world, he was much interested in the ability of man to survive without the modern benefits of civilization. In 1936-1937, together with his wife, he went to the natives of the Marquesas
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Norwegian archaeologist and traveler Thor Heyerdahl was born in Larvik, Norway on October 6, 1914. His father owned his own brewery. Since childhood, his mother instilled in him a love for wildlife, so after school Thor Heyerdahl entered the University in Oslo at the Faculty of Zoology. In addition to the animal world, he was much interested in the ability of man to survive without the modern benefits of civilization. In 1936-1937, together with his wife, he went to the natives of the Marquesas Islands for a settlement. All this time, the Tour spends in the study of the living world of the island, completely abandoning the use of technology.
World fame Thor Heyerdahl received after his travels on the ships "Kon-Tiki", "Ra" and "Tigris". The book “Journey to Kon-Tiki” immediately became a bestseller, giving the scientist the opportunity to receive funds for the implementation of his further projects. The ships, which were built on the model of ancient Sumerian and ancient Egyptian ships, managed to cross two oceans. After his travels Heyerdahl expressed his opinion about the possibility of communication between the ancient inhabitants of the Old World and America.
With age Heyerdahl was fascinated by the work of an archaeologist and researcher. He studied the origins of the ancient Viking civilization, and in the 80s and 90s he conducted a study of petroglyphs of Gobustan in Azerbaijan, which had similarities with Norwegian ones.
In 2000-2001, Heyerdahl conducted archaeological excavations in Azov in search of the origins of the Viking civilization in layers that date back to the period of settlement by the North Caucasian peoples of the Don Delta. The findings allowed Heyerdahl to come to the conclusion that the ancestors of the Norwegians came from the steppes of the Kuban and about 2 thousand years ago moved to the north of Europe.
In addition to research, Heyerdahl was active in television and film. He is a writer and film producer.
Kon-Tiki Aku-Aku, Galapagos,
Ra . As a celebrity, he managed to draw the attention of millions of viewers to existing environmental problems.
Thor Heyerdahl spent the end of his life in Tenerife in the Canary Islands in one of the villages he bought Koglia Mikari in Liguria. The archaeologist died in April 2002 of a brain tumor.