Hellenistic Greeks may have regularly visited Newfoundland, researchers claim
This idea is based on close examination of the work of Greek biographer Plutarch
These settlers may have travelled for the sake of finding new lands or riches
Many historians and archaeologists have dismissed the work as unfounded
'While it is clever and interesting I don't think the Greeks reached Canada', Dr Hector Williams from the University of British Columbia told MailOnline
The ancient Greeks could have reached Canada in 56 AD - almost a millennium before the Vikings.
This is according to a controversial study that claims Hellenistic Greeks had such detailed knowledge of astronomy that they were able to pinpoint Atlantic currents that would propel them west.
This idea is based on a study of the text 'De Facie' by Greek biographer and essayist Plutarch, who lived between 46 and 119 AD.
A character in the texts recounts meeting a Greek stranger who had recently returned from a 'great continent' - and scientists say this may have been Canada. ADVERTISING
Powered by sails and oars, they may have regularly visited Newfoundland, mined gold and set up colonies that thrived for centuries, the study claims.
However, there is no concrete evidence of these trips and many historians and maritime archaeologists have dismissed the work as 'unfounded'.
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