Archaeologists Found a Stunning Ancient Rock That May Reveal a Lost Civilization

The discovery suggests a previously unknown network of indigenous people.

BY TIM NEWCOMB
PUBLISHED: JUL 08, 2024 9:59 AM EDT



benedek//Getty Images

Rock art found in southeastern Venezuela may have come from a previously unknown culture.

Researchers believe that the roughly 4,000-year-old art signifies a central dispersion point from which cultures spread
throughout the region.

Further searches of the area could produce additional art formations.



Tucked in a mountainous region of southeastern Venezuela, newly discovered ancient rock art may be the work of a previously unknown group of people.

Strewn across isolated boulders within Canaima National Park (home to Angel Falls, the world’s tallest uninterrupted waterfall) the research team discovered 20 rock art sites that show how the area was possibly used by indigenous hunter-gatherers—either as a shelter or as a place for enacting ritual activities. Maybe both.

The team, led by Jose Miguel Pérez-Gómez, published their findings in Rock Art Research last year, and presented the findings at a conference in Italy this summer. They aimed to explore both the art and its connection to people groups across the region.

More:
https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/archaeology/a61488178/ancient-rock-art-venezuela-new-culture/

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https://www.removepaywall.com/article/current