“Ancient petroglyphs (1,000 to 2,000 years old) appear near Manaus, Brazil. Drought reveals riverbed and may indicate extraterrestrial traces.”
“Due to the current drought in the heart of the Amazon rainforest, enigmatic ancient engravings dating back 1,000 to 2,000 years have emerged on the riverbed. This discovery marks the second time this extraordinary phenomenon has been observed.”
Located at the confluence of the Negro and Amazon rivers on the outskirts of Manaus, Brazil, these rare carvings, dating back 1,000 to 2,000 years, depict water, animals, and small human faces. Archaeologists are fascinated by this discovery because the group of human faces had only been discovered once before, during a regional drought in 2010.
Small faces with great stories Alongside carved animals and symbolic representations of water, the slightly square-shaped human heads feature mouths, though only some had noses. In an article in The Guardian from when the faces were first discovered, Eduardo Neves, president of the Brazilian Society of Archaeology, stated, “The engravings indicate a place of occupation.” Jaime Oliveira, from the Brazilian Institute of Historic Heritage (Iphan), added in a comment on the resurgence of these petroglyphs that ancient Amazonians also endured periods of drought, “more severe than those we are experiencing now.” It can be concluded that, to have created these engravings, the river was dry, or it might not have existed at all. And if this valuable discovery of carved animals and humans were not enough, according to a VOA report, if the drought continues, archaeologists at the site believe that more engravings will be revealed along the riverbed.
What do the engravings mean?
This set of engravings depicting water, animals, and human faces was first discovered in 2010 when a drought exposed them for just one day. Created with stone-carved axes, Oliveira described the group of petroglyphs as “complex graphic art.” Additionally, the archaeologist said that these small human figures “convey emotions, both happiness and sadness.”
The faces often have a square appearance, like this one (Valter Calheiros).
Currently, the discovery site is protected by the state, and archaeologists have not been granted access to the area so far. Officials from the Geological Survey of Brazil have warned that the water level of the Rio Negro is likely to rise again in November. Therefore, the race has begun to document the petroglyphs before they return to the depths of the river. Deriving human emotions from ancient rock art Located in the Serranía La Lindosa, in present-day Colombia, this extensive mural features tens of thousands of paintings and engravings. In an Ancient Origins article from 2016 on this discovery, we present the team’s discovery that part of the artwork represents “Ice Age megafauna including giant sloths, mastodons, camelids, horses, and three-toed ungulates with trunks,” to name just a few.
