I am yet to read East of Eden, I look forward to doing so.
Graham Hancocks book Kingdoms of the Ice Age covers the ancient Veda Civilization off India and the Underwater megalithic structures off Yonaguni and Okinawa. I would be surprised not to find ancient underwater structures off Southern Thailand, Borneo and the Phillippines. S.E. Asia and its Archepelago of islands would have been a perfect place for a civilization to flourish, with a great many environments to exploit and many navigational challenges across the sea. The Caribbean is also an archepelago that would have provided similar challenges. Two perfect places for civilizations to begin.
But ancient Polynesian history say they came from Irihia, (Sri Lanka and southern India (home of the Kerala) then lived in "Long skinny land" (Taiwan banks to Japan, once out of water) and then very large land (Canada) This genealogy goes back 16,000 years. Their only genetic contact with S.E. Asian populations appears to be around 11,500 years ago, when they ceased contact with Melanesians. Genetics say they left Taiwan 6000 years ago splitting from Tibetans, Thais and Taiwanese. Genetics and Hawai'ian genealogy say they left Canada 2200 years ago, arriving in Hawai'i form Haida Gwai'i (Queen Charlotte Is)
Their arrival in Canada correlates with the beginning of the age of the black haired people - an exodus from Asia - at the same time there was an Exodus of red heads from America. Polynesian blood can be found in the Maya and Pima. With their keeness to Tattoo I suspect it was a branch of these people that continued on to Europe to become the Picts of Scotland and possibly the Etruscans of Italy.
Platos story of Atlantis correlates perfectly with the Caribbean and America. - out through the straits of Hercules(Straits of Gibraltar) 40 days sail - (to America) three large islands (Hispaniola, Cuba and Bahaman Banks) being the gateway to a continent as big as Africa and Asia put together (North and South America) His date for the destruction correlates with records of a rapid rise in sea level at the time and it also correlates with genetic evidence showing when Celts left Spain (As Cro Magnon man or as a Solutrean) apon his arrival in America he was renamed a Clovis hunter. He was very tall 8-10 feet. In Greek legend he was called a Titan.In Aztrec legend he was part of "The age of the white haired bearded giants" .
This is obviously a separate civilization flourishing in the Caribbean to Oppenheimers East of Eden. I am most certain these Ice Age civilizations had trade contact. Why wouldn't they?
I think we have severely underestimated mans seamanship ability in ancient times.
Definately.
Oppenheimer has changed my ideas about some things. I have his book, "Out Of Eden", on order.
O believe theree is pretty good archeological and linguistic evidence that Hawaii was among the last of the islands of Polynesia to be settled, not the first.