Colombian prehistoric rock art found in the Amazon

Apologies if this has been posted. I searched for it and found nothing.

www.google.co.uk...

So this is both thought provoking and frustrating. They found the rock art a year ago, according to the article, but decided to keep it secret for some tv show. That alone can count as a conspiracy.

Mind blowing, as they are saying it’s ten thousand drawing of animals, trees, plants, hands, humans, etc drawn about 12,500 years ago. This isn’t your standard red hand cave attempt. This sounds like a prehistoric culture recording their history.

Also, a lot of this was done up high - as in ‘needed a drone’ high. Make of that what you will.

I’ll watch the Channel 4 documentary, gnashing my teeth, of course. But I’m peeved that scientists are saying it will be ages before all the drawings can be studied, yet they still made the decision to hold back the discovery? They are also saying there is more hidden art in the jungle. Lots of ice age animals too, which could tell us more about the geography and flora and fauna of the time.

Major discovery and much to unpack (literally)!

a reply to: nikelbee

I think you're the first, amazingly.

I read about it previous. It's an astounding "discovery", though the locals are the ones who knew about it and showed it to the researchers.

To have ever called our forebarers savages only shows how much we have lost.

a reply to: Phage

Indeed! I’m reminded of Indy and his adventures in the jungle and the thefts of the Egyptian tombs. I’m sure the locals knew about it for some time but the decision to keep it under wraps was the UK discovery team and the University of Exeter.

Here’s something to ponder. What if there are anomalies in the drawings? Will those be kept from us? They are already doing the ‘natives worshipping the sun’ malarkey. I’m more inclined to believe it’s data capture and observation. Miles away from the idea of ignorant and superstitious ‘savages’.

What an amazing find. Looking forward to watching the documentary.

Jungle Mystery: Lost Kingdoms of the Amazon starts at 6.30pm on Channel 4 on 5 December. The rock art discovery is in episode 2, on 12 December

a reply to: nikelbee

You think there are flying saucers in the drawings and they aren't telling us?


Road trip!

originally posted by: Phage
a reply to: nikelbee

You think there are flying saucers in the drawings and they aren't telling us?


Road trip!

Spacemen and animals that would have never been there in the first place, post ice age. Also, did you read about the hallucinogenic plants? They Knew things. I’m getting my Indy hat and boots ready.

a reply to: nikelbee

I didn't read about them plants.

a reply to: nikelbee

To be honest I am a little skeptical of the drawings.

a reply to: nikelbee
Wow! nice find, truly deserves title Sistine Chapel of the Amazon, although given it's antiquity it could be the other way around..

a reply to: nikelbee

It reminds me of the female archeologist who was accused of dating a site wrong somewhere in Mexico or South America. She dated the site too early.
Great find.

originally posted by: Phage
a reply to: nikelbee

I didn't read about them plants.

“Observing that the imagery includes trees and hallucinogenic plants, he added: “For Amazonian people, non-humans like animals and plants have souls, and they communicate and engage with people in cooperative or hostile ways through the rituals and shamanic practices that we see depicted in the rock art.”

originally posted by: strongfp
a reply to: nikelbee

To be honest I am a little skeptical of the drawings.

Why? Because they are in the open, that the elements over 12,500 years should have eliminated the drawings? That's where I'm at.

a reply to: HalWesten
Yeah, rock all smooth and eroded, yet paintings look grade A.

originally posted by: strongfp
a reply to: nikelbee

To be honest I am a little skeptical of the drawings.

Same here-I mean I want them to be legit because they look cool and maybe lots could be learned.
But they look as though they were painted recently-If that is red ochre,out in the open for so long-wouldn't the drawings have faded or more likley been destroyed by rain?

Even the rock aborigional rock art in Australia looks faded,and that is in a much drier environment,and often in areas protected from that environment(like caves).

I love the skepticism on this thread.....

They do look real well preserved 🤔

Don't misunderstand, I think it's cool as hell but I am doubting the age.

I've been thinking about this,and if it is real-how may the drawings have been made and in what context?

The drawing are in hard to reach places,and some go up much higher than a persons height.
They depict many different animals,plants,weapons,hunting,and maybe textiles/building items.


With that in mind,my theory is that this is a form of school or university for those coming of age in ancient times.
A kind of initiation into adulthood maybe-

The tricky placement of the images would take a person who knows the lay of the land,and how to climb to reach the drawing areas-Just getting there proves to the tribe that you are worthy of learning more/showing your knowledge/making images on the wall.

To paint high on the wall,certain climbing and or building skills must be known-use of the correct type of vines for rope,maybe the building of scaffold like structures.

Then the painting itself-maybe they were asked by the elders to paint a picture of a skill they know,hunters would paint hunting scenes/animals,weavers would paint textile patterns etc.

Initiation complete-the painter is now a full adult member of the tribe.
Repeat with generations of people from the same tribe,and we are left with this vast set of images from a bygone age.


My other theory is that it is a form of "prayer wall."
The location is good as its high up(closer to the gods).
The prayers are in the form of images-asking gods/spirits to send them this/that animal to hunt,showng the gods textiles they made to honor them etc.

Just some ideas...probably way off-maybe Banksy will tell us he did it

a reply to: Silcone Synapse

That is very interesting, considering the placement of these drawings.

I bet the lowest ones (in the totally 'red' / effaced area) were made first, and then in time as that part of the rock face became almost completely covered, the later artists needed to work higher and higher up the rock face in an increasingly more precarious position to get an unspoiled surface. So ... the newest ones are closer to the top?

Too bad most of the lower ones are drawn-over, and effaced. It would be neat to try to find the chronology of these drawings, and maybe make something of a timeline, if that was indeed how it went?

a reply to: Fowlerstoad

I am thinking the chaotic lower part of the drawings is practice art-Maybe by those who did the higher up images,or (I think more likley)by kids.
I rekon when the young adults were doing their art/initiation/messages to the gods-the tribes kids would be watching,and maybe allowed to scrawl marks on the lower rocks.


Im still worrying they may be fake/very recent though-Look at that first image TheAlleghenyGentleman posted above.

In the picture,top right(to the right of the big palm type leaf)I can see what looks to be water tracking marks,with trails of mineralisation.
Its quite obvious that area of the rock face has been exposed to moisture-but there seems to be no sign of that on the artwork.
I am hoping the art is protected by something we cannot see in the frame,but it doesn't look right to me.
I would expect more fading and mineral marks.


I think the ATS moderator called Byrd is an archaeologist-maybe s/he has some insight.

originally posted by: Silcone Synapse
I've been thinking about this,and if it is real-how may the drawings have been made and in what

Some interesting ideas. I think the amount of art found is a form of cataloguing. For what purpose? Not sure but by the sheer number of drawings, to me it goes beyond self-identification we’ve seen in some cave paintings. This seems like, this is ‘us’ more than this is ‘me’ or ‘I’. Which I’m not pooh-poohing - it’s a big step in our self aware evolutionary process. Including animals, trees, people, plants, is interesting for sure, as it provokes questions about how much we undervalue primitive societies and their need to record their existence.

As for the age of the drawings - hmmm. More info is needed. Maybe the jungle preserved the colours? Or it was Banksy.

Definitely watching the show now. I hope it won’t be a case of someone saying, it could be this many years old (ala Sphinx) but is probably only XXXX.