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An eight-mile wall of prehistoric rock art featuring animals and humans was discovered in the Amazon rainforest after being created up to 12,500 years ago.
The historic artwork, now called the “ Sistine Chapel of the Ancients ”, was discovered on rock faces last year in Chiribiquete National Park, Colombia, by a British-Colombian team of archaeologists funded by the ‘European Research Council.
The date of the paintings was based on portrayals of extinct ice age animals such as the mastodon, a prehistoric relative of the elephant not seen in South America for at least 12,000 years.
There are also depictions of paleolama, an extinct member of the camel family, as well as giant sloths and ice age horses.
Human handprints can also be seen. In the Amazon, most of the native tribes are believed to be descendants of the first wave of Siberian migrants who are thought to have crossed the Bering Land Bridge up to 17,000 years ago.
The eight-mile wall of prehistoric rock art featuring animals and humans and created up to 12,500 years ago was discovered by a team of archaeologists
During the Ice Age this land bridge remained relatively intact because the snow was very light. It stretched hundreds of kilometers across continents on both sides, so it provided people with a way to traverse different areas.
Although it is not clear exactly which tribe created the paintings, there are two main indigenous tribes in the Amazon that are believed to have existed for thousands of years: the Yanomami and the Kayapo.
The first news of the Yanomami, who live between the borders of Brazil and Venezuela, dates back to 1759, when a Spanish explorer found a chief of another tribe who mentioned them.
The team discovered the historic artwork, now called the “Sistine Chapel of the Ancients”, on the rock faces last year in Chiribiquete National Park, Columbia.
Among the paintings there are discovery hats created up to 12,500 years ago, there are those depicting the now extinct mastodon that once inhabited North and Central America and, the paleolama, an extinct camelid.
Much less is known about the origin of the Kayapo tribe, which is estimated to have a population of around 8,600.
The natives of the Amazon did not keep written records until relatively recently, and the humid climate and acidic soil destroyed almost all traces of their material culture, including bones.
Until the discovery of these paintings, everything that was known about the history of the region before 1500 was deduced from scant archaeological evidence such as pottery and arrowheads.
These ancient images, which take a look at a now lost civilization, are believed to have been created by some of the first humans ever to reach the Amazon.
The fascinating discovery, which took place last year but kept secret, will now be present in a file Channel 4 series Jungle Mystery: Lost Kingdoms of the Amazon, in December.
The site is located in the heart of Colombia, in the Serrania de la Lindosa area. It is so remote that after the British-Colombian research team drove for two hours, they were forced to walk for another four.
The site is located in the heart of Colombia, in the Serrania de la Lindosa area. It is so remote that after the British-Colombian research team drove for two hours, they were forced to walk for another four
Led by an archeology professor at the University of Exeter, Jose Iriarte, the research team was funded by the European Research Council.
Mr. Iriarte told The Observer: ‘When you are there, your emotions flow … We are talking about several tens of thousands of paintings. It will take generations to register … Every time you do, it’s a new wall of paintings.
‘We started seeing animals that are now extinct. The images are so natural and so well done that we have little doubt that you are looking at a horse, for example. The ice age horse had a wild, heavy face. It is so detailed that we can even see horse hair. It’s fascinating. ‘
The presenter of the documentary, Ella Al-Shamahi, an archaeologist and explorer, shared her excitement at seeing the images brought to life.
He told The Observer: “The new site is so new that they haven’t given it a name yet.”
Ella Al-Shamahi, an archaeologist and explorer, shared her excitement at seeing the images resurrect
During their journey, the explorers faced some of the area’s most dangerous predators.
At one point the team even came face-to-face with the deadliest viper in the Americas: the bushmaster.
The only option for the team was to walk past the snake, knowing that if they were attacked there was a slim chance they would get to the hospital in time.
The territory where the paintings were discovered was only recently opened after it was completely banned due to Colombia’s raging civil war that lasted for 50 years.
And getting into the area still requires careful negotiation.
Some of the paintings are extremely high up on a relatively overhanging rock face, which baffled the research team at first.
However, Professor Iriarte believes that the depictions of wooden towers among the paintings serve to explain how the natives managed to reach such extreme heights.
It is unclear whether the paintings had a sacred purpose, but Iriarte noted that many large animals are surrounded by humans with their arms raised, apparently in a cult pose.
Presenter Al-Shamahi added that some people don’t realize that the Amazon wasn’t always a rainforest and was actually much more “savannah-like” thousands of years ago.
He said it’s fascinating to see these ancient depictions of what the earth would have looked like all those years ago.
Iriarte is convinced that there are many more paintings to be found in the region, and his team will return to visit as soon as the coronavirus pandemic allows.
Jungle Mystery: Lost Kingdoms of the Amazon starts at 6.30pm on Channel 4 on December 5th. The discovery of rock art is in episode 2, December 12th.
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