Did the Phoenicians discovered the new world before Columbus?

   The lecturer argues that the evidence for the Phoenicians discovery of the New World before Columbus did is not trustworthy. This contradicts the point made in the reading passage that the Phoenicians found the New world long before Columbus did.

   To begin with, the lecutrer argues that there is Africa native plant that also has nicotine, so the Phoenicians could have gotten nicotine from the plant. This casts doubt on the reading passages claim that the nicotine found in mummies was from New world tobacco.

   In addition, the lecturer contends that the image drawn on the coin is not clear enough to distinguish as a map. This is because it is so small that it can't be seen with naked eyes. So it could just be a decoration. This rebuffs the reading passage's claim that a map of America on ancient Phoenician was found.

   Lastly, the lecturer explains that Native American temples differed from that of Egypt. For example, the Native American temples are steep and have stairs while that of Egypt are smooth and gently sloped. Furthermore, the usage was different, too. The formers were used for religious temple but the latters or used for royal tombs. This refutes the reading passage's claim that the structures were very similar.