The Abora Tries Again. An archeaological expedition of modern times.

German scientist Dominique Goerlitz, a former schoolteacher, now an experimental archaeologist and botanist, is planning another attempt to prove that ancient civilizations could have made frequent roundtrips between the Old World and the New with a ship constructed of reeds.

Construction for Abora IV is planned to happen at the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City, N.J., within view of the Statue of Liberty, will be designed according to prehistoric rock drawings.

Taking his cue from Norwegian adventurer Thor Heyerdahl (Kon-Tiki), Goerlitz hopes to prove that people traversed between Europe and North, Central and South America as early as 14,000 years ago, and even conducted regular cultural exchange and trade in both directions across the Atlantic Ocean.

“We want to rewrite the history of sea travel,” Goerlitz told Expedition News in 2007. “We want to show how the ships used by early seafarers were able to turn on man’s will and could sail both east and west – even into the wind.”

On July 11, 2007, the Abora III set out on a three-month journey from the East Coast back to Spain, departing New York in a prehistoric-style reed boat constructed of 17 tons of reed papyrus and fashioned with 16 leeboards – a vertical steering system – that he says aided seafarers some 6,000 years ago.

They spent 56 days at sea before a series of 14 intense storms forced them to abandon the effort. Nonetheless, the documentary about Abora III produced by German Television/ZDF Enterprises continues to be broadcast worldwide. ZDF’s production, “Lost on the Atlantic” will air on May 5 on the National Geographic Channel.

He believes traces of Western hemisphere plants buried with Egyptian mummies are evidence of early trade between the continents. Plant seeds he dragged behind his ship through the ocean, seeds that later failed to propagate due to exposure to salt water, he believes is proof they were carried to the Old World by humans sailing east, and not by wind or birds or other natural causes. He’s seeking $800,000 in sponsorship for an eastbound trip across the Atlantic he hopes to kick off in June 2010. (For more information: abora.eu (in German) or for info on past trips visit. abora3.com)

Thanks to Expedition News for the update.