Ancient carvings in the middle of the rainforest depict celestial objects and unusual animals

Brazilian archaeologists have discovered a number of 2,000-year-old stone carvings depicting human footprints, figures resembling celestial bodies and figures of animals such as deer and wild boar.
Researchers from the National Institute of Historical and Artistic Heritage (IPHAN) have identified 16 pre-Columbian archaeological sites located on cliffs close to each other.

“This proximity indicates a possible connection between the sites and clarifies the settlement patterns of the ancient communities that inhabited the region,” claims archaeologist and research leader Rômulo Macêdo.

2,000-year-old rock carvings in Jalapão State Park
Unknown cultural groups
Many of the newly discovered carvings are symbols pressed into stone. The team also discovered several red paintings in some of the locations.

“The paintings are probably older than the carvings and were made by other cultural groups,” Macêdo adds.
“The discovery of the carvings is ‘rare and important’ because so far archaeologists have only found stones from the pre-Columbian indigenous peoples of Jalapão,” explains archaeologist Marcos Zimmermann from the Federal University of Tocantins.
Ceramic artifacts and stone tools found at archaeological sites in Jalapão may have been important objects for creating art.

“The carvings were probably made using sharp stone tools and pieces of wood, while the painting pigments were produced with powdered iron minerals that are abundant in the region.” The powder was mixed with animal or vegetable fat and applied to the stone with fingers or sticks,” explains Macêdo.

Research in Jalapão has not yet been fully studied. However, they have technical and thematic similarities with other archaeological sites in different states of Brazil, indicating that the carvings are about two millennia old.

2,000-year-old rock carvings in Jalapão State Park
Huge significance of the discovery
“Further analysis of the stone carvings and archaeological excavations of the sites will provide new information about the way of life and spirituality of these indigenous groups. These discoveries can also shed light on the symbolic repertoire of pre-Columbian populations,” Macêdo adds.
Jalapão State Park covers about 34,000 km² and is a dry area with dunes, rivers and huge rocks, which sets it apart from the surrounding biome of the Cerrado, a large tropical savannah and ecoregion known for its biodiversity. It is located about 750 kilometers south of the Amazon rainforest.

Ecoregion Cerrado
Despite the significance of these discoveries, the park faces threats such as erosion, vandalism and deforestation. IPHAN announced plans to cooperate with research institutions to develop projects for the preservation and promotion of the archaeological heritage in the region.

“Sandstone, together with environmental factors such as wind and sun, degrades rock paintings,” Zimmermann concludes.