Newly Discovered Amazon Rock Art Dates To Ice Age

Rock paintings discovered in Colombia’s Amazon rainforest in South America apparently depict gigantic Ice Age animals researchers who have been examining the images say.

The artwork, first discovered in 2017, includes examples of the earliest known depiction of animals or humans in the region, and is thought to have been painted around 12 – 12,500 years ago dating to a period thought to be the end of the last great Ice Age.

Screenshot of some of the artwork discovered

They were discovered in three areas, and in total are thought to number in the thousands, making them of incredible cultural and historic value to the whole of humanity.

Studied for the past three years prior to the findings being made public, the rock art was researched by the local National University of Colombia in addition to the University of Antioquia, alongside the University of Exeter from the United Kingdom.

Information released so far indicates that the images show a number of extinct animals including an early relative of the elephant known as a mastodon, and ancestors of the modern day horse.

Speaking to the meida, Jose Iriarte of the University of Exeter said “(The) pictures show how people would have lived amongst giant, now extinct, animals, which they hunted,” with Mark Robinson, a colleague of Mr. Iriarte adding that the rock art helps to “give a vivid and exciting glimpse” into what was happening in the region at the time as the people who produced the work “… moved into the region at a time of extreme climate change, which was leading to changes in vegetation and the make-up of the forest. The Amazon was still transforming into the tropical forest we recognise today.”

The images include human figures in addition to animals and birds as well as handprints.

The majority of the images made are understood to have been painted using red ochre, a common pigment seen in other examples of early human rock art at other sites around the world.

Lisa Conklin

Lisa is an Eastender from London in her second year in Taipei where she teaches English, and in her spare time writes poetry. She is a practicing vegan and lover of yoga who lives 'off-grid' as much as possible. She is our weekend editor.