Traces of an unknown ancient civilization dating back 4,000 years have been discovered in Venezuela.
According to the Daily Mail, an archaeological research team from Simón Bolívar University in Venezuela found 20 ancient rock art sites dating back thousands of years in Canaima National Park in the southeast.
Similar rock art has been found in other parts of South America, but the research team stated that the paintings discovered this time represent a previously unknown culture.
The revealed rock arts are in the form of pictograms (pictures combined to convey information about a subject or place without using text) and are drawn in red. Some pictures are engraved on the rocks and show various geometric motifs.
The researchers stated, “It’s almost impossible to get into the minds of people who lived thousands of years ago,” and “We don’t know why they created these artworks.”
However, they explained, “These drawings likely held ceremonial meanings related to childbirth, disease, nature, and hunting.” “Considering where the rock arts were created, they likely found importance in the landscape,” they added.
According to the researchers, there were no traces of human activity in the area in the past. Therefore, the rock art discovered this time suggests that an unknown civilization created it. Also, similar rock art found in Brazil has been estimated to be around 4,000 years old, indicating that the rock art discovered this time might be comparable or even older.
Canaima National Park, where the rock arts were found, is home to the Angel Falls, the highest waterfall in the world.
The researchers stated, “The ancient site of Canaima National Park could have been the starting point of a mysterious culture,” and “It seems that the culture spread to distant places like the Amazon River, Guyana (a French territory in South America), and southern Colombia where similar rock arts are found.”
Meanwhile, pottery and Stone Age artifacts were also found at the site where the rock art was discovered. The researchers expect more rock art sites to be discovered as the research continues.
The results of this study were presented at the Prehistoric Archaeology Conference, held in Valcamonica, Italy, from June 26 to 29. A paper analyzing some rock art was published in the Rock Art Research Journal in November last year.
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