HEARTLAND CONNECTING TO TUNISIA We are
so excited. Doors are opening in the Ancient World, and our understanding of ancient times in the New World is
HEARTLAND CONNECTING TO TUNISIA
We are so excited. Doors are opening in the Ancient World, and our understanding of ancient times in the New World is increasing. The world’s oldest ship replica that crossed the Atlantic is coming together in Montrose, Iowa, on the west bank of the Upper Mississippi.
The ship represents the efforts of thousands of people over the last two decades. The ship sailed on the open oceans for more than 30,000 miles around Africa and across the Atlantic. During the Covid Crisis, she sank in the mud off the shore of Florida. She came up out of the mud and was cut into pieces. Her untimely sinking in the muddy canal nearly caused the U.S. Coast Guard to scuttle her to the bottom of the seas.
Just in time, Heartland Research came to her rescue, and she is now in the care and keeping of faithful people. She is a symbol of how God restores what was lost.
We need your help to continue with this project. We invite all people of goodwill to join us as we put the pieces back together.
There is no other artifact in America that so clearly and directly connects to the Ancient World. Heartland Research stands ready to restore the world’s oldest ship replica here in the New World. We are sure that tens of millions of Americans will want to see the significance of the 40-ton ship that re-writes the history of ancient America. Heartland Research invites you to join us as we proceed with this significant project.
We are working closely with new friends in the Old World who are helping us to understand how, in ancient times, the two worlds connected across the Atlantic.
In 600 B.C. Carthage was a major power center in the Ancient
World. For centuries the city rivaled Rome. This rivalry culminated in the
three Punic Wars, fought between 264 B.C. and 146 B.C., ending with the
utter and horrific destruction of both Carthage and its culture. Carthage
Room at the Bardo National Museum in Tunisia.
Ery’j B.Sassi Trimech, President and Founder of Association
Didon de Carthage, قرطاج تونس in
Tunisia. She has important contacts at the ministerial level of the
Government of Tunisia. She will work with the U.S. Ambassador’s assistant in
Tunis to help prepare the application for funding. Heartland Research is
grateful to work with many new friends in the ancient City of Carthage.
Sections of the World’s Oldest Ship Replica Coming Together on
the Banks of the Mississippi.
Ery’j meeting with Jewish leaders in Tunisia at one of North
Africa’s oldest synagogues.
The synagogue is the oldest in Tunisia and possibly all of Africa. Many
believe it is the world’s oldest synagogue in continuous operation since before the
founding of Rome.
Besides being the center of the island’s Jewish life, it is also a
pilgrimage site. While extensively renovated in the 19th century, the buildings may
date to the 6th century B.C. One of the accounts associated with its founding claims
that a stone or a door from Solomon’s Temple or the Second Temple is incorporated into
the building.
Djerba is home to around 1,300 Jews, and El Ghriba is an
important feature of Jewish life on the island in Tunisia. According to
legend, the construction of the synagogue goes back to the High Priests’
escape following the destruction of Solomon’s Temple by the Babylonians
under Nebuchadnezzar II in the year 586 B.C. This would have been the same
time as when the People of Mulek escaped to Zarahemla in the New World. The
High Priests carried with them a door and a stone of the destroyed Temple.
Thus the synagogue links the Jewish diaspora to the “sole sanctuary of
Judaism”. In modern times, the local Jews are distinguished by their dress,
which includes a black band around their pants, which signifies the
destruction of the Temple.
Ery'j Sassi, Heartland Research's partner in the ancient Port of Carthage, arranged a video conference with leading experts in the Old World and a University President from the New World were able to see a live stream from the Phoenicia Ship Museum in Montrose, Iowa.
We have America's largest collection of Cedar of Lebanon (Cedrus libani) logs at the Phoenicia Workshop in Iowa. We have distilled and formulated an ancient scent from the essential oil that comes from our Cedar of Lebanon. The perfume provides a source of funding for the restoration of our ship…
Heartland Research has been studying ancient connections between the Old and New Worlds for over eight years. It has always been obvious to us that our resources are limited when compared to the size of the field of study. The support of our donors has been invaluable to us over…
With today’s technology, we connected a busload of tourists at the Phoenicia Ship Museum with our Tunisian partners in Carthage. The world’s oldest replica ship, which sailed on two oceans and two seas, was the reason for the live connection.
Mike and Betty LaFontaine The Native American couple will be at the Heartland Research Booth at the FIRM Foundation Expo, which will feature the 33rd International Book of Mormon Evidence Conference.
From Betty, More attended that evening about 100 people; once again we asked for raised hands who had heard of the Phoenicia again maybe 3! Once again Rod Meldrum presented both Mike and I did also all about The Phoenicia! Many were touched. Again Roger Cook and others traveled to…
"History is always being rewritten. But few people have the imagination and sheer guts of Philip Beale and his crew to demonstrate the seemingly impossible. This book is the most interesting and inspiring I have read in a long time" --Sir Ranulph Fiennes, OBE
International Seminar to be held on January 13, 2024 at Northampton College. Speakers include Yri and Veri Sanada, Ery'j B. Sassi Trimech, Blaise Colasante, Adam Stokes, Brian Nettles, Mike LaFontaine, and Betty LaFontaine.
The Ambassador’s Reception on February 16th, 2024, at the Tunisian Embassy in Washington DC near the White House. Connecting the ancient people of Tunisia with the ancient people of America.
The Heartland Research Group is a grassroots, boots-on-the-ground organization that believes that the historical
narrative of the Book of Mormon took place in the Heartland of North America. The HRG is active in archaeological
research and in the acquisition, restoration and display of ancient American artifacts. The HRG is currently
preparing an ancient ship replica called the "Phoenicia" for display. The ships construction design is patterned
after a shipwreck dating to 600 BC. The Phoenicia ship made modern voyages, first around Africa and then also from
the Middle East to Florida in 2019 – proving that voyages around Africa or from Sidon to North America were
feasible anciently.
Heartland Research Inc is a 501c3 private operating foundation for archaeological research and to complete preparations for the Phoenicia display. Current plans are for a museum large enough to house the Phoenicia
ship and many other ancient artifacts and exhibits from North America. The location of the museum is planned to be
in Zarahemla which is Lee County Iowa, near the Mississippi river and east of Nauvoo, Illinois.
Our activities are too many to list, but some recent major expeditions are listed below. Many of these expeditions
are open-ended and we expect to continue research in these and other similar activities as time, resources, and
volunteers become available. We have dozens of volunteers and hundreds of donors, large and small, but we need many
more. Check out the websites listed below for details of Heartland Research Group projects. Our current project is
is our biggest yet: to refurbish the Phoenicia ship for display.
We invite you to support our efforts so we can complete these worthy goals!
If you have skills or knowledge to contribute to our research and discovery projects, please contact us directly to volunteer.
What: Sonar scanning of Mississippi between Nauvoo and Keokuk. The purpose of the expedition was to
discover a crossing route that ancient people could have taken.
Who: Heartland Research Inc volunteers.
Where: Between Keokuk and Nauvoo, Iowa.
How: Private donations of money, time and equipment.
What: Magnetic scanning of 221 acres of farmland near Montrose, Iowa. The purpose of the expedition
was the discovery of fire-pits and other evidence of ancient occupation.
Who: Members of the Heartland Research Inc, local farmers, volunteers, plus technicians from German
company SYNSYS. Signs of habitation were found
with magnetometery scanning and then C14 dating.
Where: Near Montrose Iowa and between Montrose and Fort Madison Iowa.
How: Large and small donations of money, time and equipment.
What: A one week seminar in Fort Madison, Iowa with 25+ participants. Included visits to the Putnam
museum in Davenport, Iowa. There were twelve presentations on the ancient history and written languages of the
upper Mississippi.
Who: Members of Heartland Research Inc plus presenters and interested attendees.
Where: Fort Madison, Iowa.
How: Private donations for space, time and lodging.
What: Ground penetrating electrical resistivity scanning for building foundations using electrical
resistivity equipment from LandVisor.
Who: Members of Heartland Research Inc and volunteers.
Where: Zarahemla in Lee County, Iowa.
How: Private donations and ground support.
What: Metal analysis for alloy content. Ancient arrow and spearhead found in Wisconsin stream of cast
bronze.
Who: Heartland Research Group
Where: Sample found in Wisconsin stream by scuba diver.
How: Private donations for lab analysis.
What: High resolution LiDAR scanning by supporter Air Data Solutions of 34,000 acres in Lee County, Iowa and also part of Illinois. The
focus was to create high quality digital maps showing the terrain of the land, especially in the foothill
areas where large earthworks are found. Discovery of 5-10 miles of ancient earthworks from LiDAR using QGIS
and ArcGIS visualization software.
Who: Members of Heartland Research Inc plus AirData Solutions Inc.
Where: Lee County, Iowa and also part of Illinois, covering the much of Nauvoo.
How: Private donations for services, data processing, and analysis.
What: Commence process of restoring the world's oldest ship replica from 600BC, which has
circumnavigated Africa and crossed the Atlantic ocean from the Middle East to America.
Who: Members of Heartland Research Inc plus volunteers.
Where: Lee County, Iowa between Montrose and Fort Madison.
How: Private donations for materials, space, and equipment plus donations in labor.
Mission Statement
The Heartland Research Group researches archaeological evidence of the ancient civilizations of America. Heartland Research Group activities include:
Field Research Uses archeological techniques and scanning technologies to reveal the remains of ancient civilizations.
Ancient Artifacts Encourages and facilitate study of ancient North American artifacts, including tablets, tools, weapons, metal works, and other items.
Geography Research and develop maps, using scanning technologies and other means, to identify the locations and activities of ancient civilizations.
Linguistics Analyze and translate ancient writings found in North America, especially those relating to other civilizations world wide.
Preservation and Display Collect, restore, preserve, catalog and exhibit ancient artifacts and replicas, and make them readily available to researchers and viewable to the public.
Archaeology, Geology, and History Study and research into all aspects archaeology, geology, and history that shed light on ancient North American peoples and cultures.
Promotion and Support Raise awareness of our activities. Work directly with and support individuals and groups in activities that share our same goals.
The Heartland Research Group welcomes researchers and interested parties of all backgrounds to share their analysis and findings of ancient American heartland civilizations.
