An international team of archaeologists, in collaboration with researchers from UCL, has unveiled a collection of ancient South American engravings, hailed as the most extensive prehistoric rock art ever documented on a global scale. The findings were published in the journal Antiquity.
The Orinoco River in South America is home to some of the largest prehistoric rock art engravings in the world, including giant depictions of anacondas, rodents, human figures and other animals. The engravings may have served as territorial markers for indigenous groups thousands of years ago.
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2,000-year-old rock art found along Orinoco River in South America
(Photo: Philip Riris et al.; Antiquity Publications Ltd.; (CC-BY 4.0 Deed))
The team discovered and mapped 14 monumental rock engraving sites, some over 4 meters wide or high, using drone photography and local guides.
Although challenging to date precisely, similar motifs on pottery suggest the engravings could be up to 2,000 years old, if not older.
The engravings are concentrated along the Orinoco River, suggesting they were meant to be seen from the water, a crucial trade and travel route in prehistoric times.
The research team emphasizes the need to protect these monumental rock art sites, with local Indigenous communities playing a key role in their preservation.
This article was written in collaboration with Generative AI news company Alchemiq
Sources: Nature, Scientific American, Newsweek, Live Science, CNN, newscientist.com, news.yahoo.com, econotimes.com, cnn.com, breakinglatest.news, rocketnews.com, miragenews.com, phys.org, iflscience.com, labrujulaverde.com, bignewsnetwork.com