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That wouldn't surprise me. I was always curious at that spiral art symbol (forgot the name of it. Phid?) that is found in Egypt, Greece, Ireland, and Mesoamerica. And I do think that the Greeks travelling is a more feasible theory than aliens. 😀
Spiral?
Like thishttp://www.mythicalireland.com/ancientsites/newgrange/artgallery/newgrange-art-8.jpgThey are also found in Minoan structures as well as Egypt and the Americas.
Ok but why from the Greeks ?
Because I'm biased. ;D
The common stories of the spiritual traditions of different cultures are what really give me the most pause. Simple shapes that occur in nature (circle = sun, spiral = snail, etc) could easily have been created in multiple places and look very similar. Common species can be explained away as well; swollen rivers pushing accidental arks of tangled trees into the sea, birds, land bridge migration before civilization, etc. But birds can't carry ideas or detailed stories (well, if you believe some of those stories, maybe they can 😉 ) and many of the stories share some very detailed similarities. I am not sure how we will ever know where they originated and the evidence that they are the same is not solid (lots of oral tradition, conflicting accounts of history and it treads into that dangerous territory of discussion).
I haven't seen that shape drawn before so I'm not much help. But it's clear that the Greeks replicated geometric shapes at an early time (e.g. during their “geometric period”) and then I think some of the same patterns would have been seen later on as well (e.g. borders in vase painting), and also in Roman art. Coinciding with our other thread, the Greeks would have spread their culture throughout the Mediterranean, so if we saw certain shapes in Egyptian art as well after about 600 B.C. or so, it would not be surprising.
Do you know the routes they typically took? Were they comfortable being out of sight of land for days at a time?
I don't think the boats in those days sailed too far away from land for extended periods of time. Anybody know a lot about nautical technology at the time?? I think they used biremes or basically any ship that had to be rowed by banks of people, with limited sail technology (not advanced like the islamic trade ships or portuguese exploration ships that came about much much later). I think they were probably afraid of being on the water for a long time, even Athens which boasted a large navy, because it took them away from their polis, where culture and socialisation and all the good things in life were at. I have a feeling that they probably skirted near coastlines of the Mediterranean until they would find a location that was uninhabited and a prime spot for building a new polis.Also if you look at the Odyssey, most of Odysseus' trip was on islands unknown or 'uncharted' with strange beings that were often a danger to him and his crew, not a hospitable place like most of the other encounters in the Odyssey (Telemachus' visit to Nestor and sparta for example where hospitality is a huge theme)
