Did the ancient Egyptians, Mexicans, Easter Islanders, and Vikings meet each other? How and when? Is the ocean really a barrier? Is it possible to cross hundreds of nautical miles on a flimsy boat made of papyrus? Yes, if at the helm of this unsinkable "liner" "Ra" stands the brave Norwegian traveler Thor Heyerdahl (1914–2002). Overcoming storms and encounters with sea monsters, he will prove to himself and the whole world that during the time of the construction of the Egyptian pyramids, the population of the earth adored sea voyages and it was far from Christopher Columbus being the first European to step onto the American continent. Thanks to the skill of the Russian translator L. Zhdanova (1924–1951), the reader will become so captivated by the sparkling account of an eyewitness to the events that they will doubt the fabricated nature of the story. However, what is written should be believed; all the words in it are true! Happy sailing! About the author: THOR HEYERDAHL (1914–2002) was a Norwegian archaeologist, traveler, and writer. In 1969 and 1970, Thor Heyerdahl built two boats made of papyrus and attempted to cross the Atlantic Ocean, choosing the coast of Morocco in Africa as the starting point for his voyage. The goal of the experiment was to demonstrate that ancient navigators could make transatlantic crossings on sailing ships while utilizing the Canary Current. The first boat, named "Ra," designed according to drawings and models of boats from Ancient Egypt, was built by specialists from Lake Chad (Chad Republic) from papyrus sourced from Lake Tana in Ethiopia, and set out into the Atlantic Ocean from the coast of Morocco. After a few weeks, "Ra" began to bend due to structural defects and sink stern first into the water, but the voyage continued. Eventually, when a few hundred kilometers remained to the American shore, it broke apart. The crew was forced to abandon the vessel. The following year, another boat, "Ra-II," redesigned based on the experience of the previous voyage, was built by craftsmen from Lake Titicaca in Bolivia and also set sail from Morocco, this time successfully reaching Barbados, thereby demonstrating that ancient navigators could make transatlantic crossings. Although the goal of the "Ra" voyage was merely to confirm the seaworthiness of ancient vessels made from lightweight reeds, the success of the "Ra-II" expedition was considered evidence that even in prehistoric times, Egyptian sailors, intentionally or accidentally, could make journeys to the New World. About the translator: LEV LVOVICH ZHDANOV (1924–1995) was a writer and translator of the third generation. At the beginning of the 20th century, his grandfather Lev Grigorievich Zhdanov (1854–1951) gained great fame with his historical novels; his father, Lev Shiffer, was also a prose writer and translator. Lev Zhdanov spent his childhood years in Norway. He participated in the Great Patriotic War, ending it in Berlin. The translator's literary debut occurred in 1955 when his translation of Thor Heyerdahl's book "Voyage on the 'Kon-Tiki'" was published in the magazine "Yunost". Throughout his life, Lev Zhdanov translated more than 150 books from English, Norwegian, Swedish, and other languages. Thanks to him, Russian readers became acquainted with the works of writers such as R. Amundsen, B. Danielsson, J.-Y. Cousteau, Y. Lindblad, J. Darrell, C. Simak, A. Clarke, R. Bradbury, and others.
