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18 September 2005
'Robinson Crusoe' home found
True-life 'Robinson Crusoe' lived atop a hill on isle off Chile
09/17/2005
The Asahi Shimbun
A team led by explorer Daisuke Takahashi says it has found where
the true-life 18th century model for "Robinson Crusoe" spent more than
four years in the Pacific Ocean waiting to be rescued.
Traces of a structure that Scottish navigator Alexander Selkirk
(1676-1721) likely built after he was marooned in 1704 were found atop
a hill on what is now called Robinson Crusoe Island, off the coast of
Chile, Takahashi said in Tokyo on Thursday.
"I have finally reached him," Takahashi said.
"In times when the word `adventure' is almost obsolete, I would
like to convey to young people how exciting it feels to explore our
dreams," said the 38-year-old resident of Akita.
The team's findings are published in the October issue of National Geographic magazine, released Thursday.
The explorer has been hot on the trail of Selkirk for 13 years,
aiming to "excavate the real Robinson Crusoe." The 47-square-kilometer
island, named for the hero of the 1719 novel by British author Daniel
Defoe, is about 700 km off Chile's coast.
Accompanied by four archaeologists and geologists from Britain
and Chile, Takahashi is certain he has found the spot where Selkirk
took shelter until his rescue nearly 300 years ago.
Selkirk was abandoned on the uninhabited island after a
confrontation with his ship's captain. He survived four years and four
months alone.
The island now has a population of about 630. Renamed in 1966 for
the Defoe hero, it was originally called Mas-a-Tierra island. Until
now, no one was certain where Selkirk had sought shelter.
In January and February, while excavating man-made stone remains
on the hill, the team came across traces of a camp fire and pillar
holes dug into the ground. It was Takahashi's fifth visit to the island.
A 16-millimeter piece of copper, which turned out to be part of a
divider, a tool that navigators like Selkirk would likely have
possessed, was also unearthed.
Radiocarbon dating and other methods confirmed the site's remnants were from Selkirk's time, said Takahashi.
In 2002, Takahashi published "Robinson Crusoe o Saga****e" (In
Search of Robinson Crusoe), a detailed account of his explorations and
research.(IHT/Asahi: September 17,2005)
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