Journal of Book of Mormon Studies Volume 14 Number 1 Article 3 1-31-2005 Ancient Voyages Across the Ocean to America: From “Impossible” to “Certain” John L. Sorenson Brigham Young University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/jbms BYU ScholarsArchive Citation Sorenson, John L. (2005) "Ancient Voyages Across the Ocean to America: From “Impossible” to “Certain”," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies: Vol. 14 : No. 1 , Article 3. Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/jbms/vol14/iss1/3 This Feature Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of Book of Mormon Studies by an authorized editor of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact
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[email protected]. Title Ancient Voyages Across the Ocean to America: From “Impossible” to “Certain” Author(s) John L. Sorenson Reference Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 14/1 (2005): 4–17, 124–25. ISSN 1065-9366 (print), 2168-3158 (online) Abstract In the past, experts have assumed that primitive sail- ors would have found it impossible to cross the oceans between the Old World and the New. However, John Sorenson here concludes that the evidence for trans- oceanic contacts now drowns out the arguments of those who have seen the New World as an isolated island until ad 1492. Sorenson’s arguments are based on evidences from Europe, Asia, and Polynesia of the diffusion of New World plants and infectious organ- isms. His research identifies evidence for transoce- anic exchanges of 98 plant species, including tobacco and peanuts.