4,000-year-old Rock Art From A Previously Unknown Ancient Culture uncovered in Venezuela

An archaeological team in Venezuela has uncovered 20 ancient rock  art sites in Canaima National Park in the southeastern part of the country, consisting of both pictograms and petroglyphs, estimated to be about 4,000 years old.

This discovery reveals a previously unknown culture, even though similar rock  art has been found elsewhere in South America

The newfound rock art, referred to as pictograms, was painted in red and featured geometric shapes such as dotted lines, rows of X’s, star-shaped patterns, and interconnected straight lines. Additionally, there are simple depictions of leaves and stick figure drawings of people. Some images, known as petroglyphs, were incised into the rock and exhibit similar geometric designs.

These paintings resemble other rock  art from South America, such as that from Brazil, Colombia, and Guyana, but they also show the rise of a unique cultural group that was previously unknown.

An archaeologist and researcher at Simón Bolívar University in Caracas, José Miguel Pérez-Gómez told DailyMail.com that previous studies have found no signs of human activity in the region, suggesting the  art was made by a previously unknown civilization.

One area where rock art sites were found in Venezuela was near Angel Falls, the tallest land waterfall on Earth. Photo: José Miguel Pérez-Gómez

The purpose behind this art remains unclear. The various representations could be associated with topics like childbirth, illness, nature reviving, or ethical hunting. Just as churches have great meaning for people today, the sites where the rock  art was made probably had great significance for the surrounding environment.

“It is almost impossible to get into the minds of people living so many [thousands of] years ago” lead researcher José Miguel Pérez-Gómez, told Live Science over email. He added that “definitely these signs had a ritual meaning.”

Ceramic and stone tool remains were also discovered at the 20 rock  art sites, possibly used by the artists themselves. However, Pérez-Gómez says more research is needed to confirm this. He also stated that more rock art sites are likely to be discovered in Canaima National Park as research continues.

Rock art from Upuigma-tepui rock shelter in Canaima National Park, Venezuela. Photo: José Miguel Pérez-Gómez/Simón Bolívar University

Although it is not known precisely how old rock  art is, similar rock art in Brazil has been dated to about 4,000 years ago, but Perez-Gomez believes the examples in Venezuela may be older.

The park might have been the original place where this unknown culture first developed, Perez-Gomez told Live Science, adding that they may have later dispersed to places as far away as the Amazon River, the Guianas, and even southern Colombia, which all feature rock  art akin to the newly found sites in Venezuela.

The research was first presented at the “New Worlds New Ideas” prehistoric archaeological congress held in Valcamonica, Italy.

Some of the newly found rock art in Venezuela. Photo: José Miguel Pérez-Gómez/Simón Bolívar University

Cover Photo: An enhanced view showing some of the rock  art discovered in Venezuela. Credit: José Miguel Pérez-Gómez

By oguz kayra4 July 2024

A Gold Belt Weighing 432 Grams Unearthed During Excavations in Ani Ruins is on Display

The gold belt discovered 22 years ago during excavations in the ancient city of Ani, often referred to as the “City of 1001 Churches” and “City of Forty Gates”, is on display at the Kars Archaeological and Ethnographic Museum.

Located in Kars, Türkiye, and listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site, Ani is undergoing extensive archaeological excavations. It reveals its buried history through meticulous work at eight different excavation sites

During the Middle Ages, Ani was a highly significant city that prospered, especially in the tenth and thirteenth centuries. The city, renowned for its architectural wonders, was an important hub for trade, culture, and religion. The city’s distinct legacy was shaped by the blending of multiple civilizations, such as the Seljuks, Georgians, Armenians, and Byzantines.

Photo: AA

The golden belt, which was found in 2002 during the excavations carried out under the direction of Hacettepe University Faculty Member Prof. Dr. Beyhan Karamağaralı between 1989 and 2005, was kept under protection for 22 years.

The belt with various figures on it weighs 432 grams.

Hakim Aslan, Acting Director of the Kars Archaeological and Ethnographic Museum, told Anadolu Agency: “We know that Ani lived its glorious period in the Middle Ages, and archaeological excavations were started by Russian-born Nikolay Marr in Ani Ruins in the late 1800s. Later, the excavations were carried out by Turkish professors and are still continuing. The gold belt is one of the artifacts unearthed as a result of the excavations carried out in 2002 under Prof. Dr. Beyhan Karamağaralı. The artifact is very important, it is made of gold material.”

Photo: AA

The belt is made up of three components: the belt plate, the belt buckle, and the belt loops on the second textile piece. The belt has decorations and is entirely composed of gold material. The belt buckle in the middle is made with 8 slices and savat craftsmanship is seen on the edges. Savat is a very old gold and silver decoration technique that originates in Dagestan. The belt plate measures 25 centimeters in length and 2.5 centimeters in width. There is a human head figure at the end.

Pointing out that the same figures are seen in the wall paintings of the Uighur period, Hakim Aslan said, “In fact, a third eye is seen here, and the word ‘lisa’ is written on the belt buckle as well as the human figure. The word ‘lisa’ means the owner. On the ceramics we have seen before, the word lisa was used in the sense of bringing good luck and prosperity to the owner.”

Photo: AA

The golden belt will be on display at the Kars Archaeology and Ethnography Museum for only 3 months.

Cover Photo: AA

By Leman Altuntaş2 July 2024

 

A Unique Discovery in Europe: Ancient Stone Circles Cover 2,800-Year-Old Graves of Children in Norway

Archaeologists from the Museum of Cultural History in Oslo discovered an unknown burial site in a quarry near Fredrikstad, in southeastern Norway. This find has been found to contain the remains of mostly children, all of whom died more than 2,000 years ago. The burial field is unique in a European context, according to the Museum of Cultural History.

In December 2023, the team of archaeologists, led by Guro Fossum, was initially investigating ancient Stone Age settlements when they found stone formations that turned out to be burial circles.

The children, whose ages ranged from infancy to six years old at the time of their deaths, had their partially burnt bones interred directly beneath the intriguing stone circles, in exquisitely crafted ceramic pots that had long since broken into fragments. After the skeletal remains were dated, it was discovered that nearly all of the children had been buried during Norway’s Bronze and Iron Ages, between 800 and 400 BC.

“The dating shows that the burial site was used over a long period, so they couldn’t all have died in the same natural disaster or outbreak of disease or epidemic,” says Guro Fossum.

The painstakingly built stone circles were found in 2023 while excavating a rural field close to the southern Norwegian city of Fredrickstad. They were situated close to a Stone Age settlement, which was the original site being investigated, and were only 2-4 inches (5-10 cm) below the earth’s surface.

The stone formations were all between three and six feet (one and two meters) in diameter and were either perfectly round or oval-shaped. Some had larger stones placed in the middle or on their edges, signaling some diversity or creativity in the designs.

The tombs show variations in the arrangement of the cremated remains, some placed in urns and others simply under the stone circles. The amount of bones recovered was minimal in many cases, between 0.1 and 240 grams per tomb, which presented a considerable challenge for the archaeologists and osteologists involved in the study.

The children’s graves date from the transition between the Bronze and Iron Ages, with most of them buried between 800 and 400 years BCE. Photo: Museum of Cultural History

Aside from the children’s tombs, everyday objects like fire pits and kitchen pits were discovered near the site. This implies that the location may have functioned as a community gathering spot in addition to a cemetery, possibly for funeral-related events.

There was something special about the whole place. The tombs are very close together. They must have been in an open landscape, with nearby communication routes, so everyone knew about them. Furthermore, all the tombs were very beautiful and meticulously worked. Each stone came from a different place and was precisely placed in the formation. We wondered who had made such an effort, says Fossum.

The burial site, unique in the European context, has sparked interest not only for its rarity but also for its emotional implications.

An associate professor of archaeology at the University of Stavanger, Håkon Reiersen emphasizes that this find connects us deeply with the universal human emotions related to the loss and mourning of children, showing that people in the past were not so different from us in terms of how they honored their dead.

Fossum finds it interesting that men, women, and especially children had their own tombs and received the same treatment for centuries.

“It seems that the social structure was more egalitarian, as there wasn’t much difference between the graves. The same types of graves, grave goods, and burial methods were used. This suggests a society where community was important,” she said.

Only one of the graves in the field is dated to after the year 0. From that point on, burial practices gradually changed, with hierarchies and large burial mounds reserved only for those with status.

ScienceNorway

Museum of Cultural History

Cover Photo: Museum of Cultural History

By Leman Altuntaş29 June 2024

Tags: Featured, Fredrickstad, Guro Fossum, Norway, Norway Museum of Cultural History, Stone Age settlement, Stone Circles, unique in the European context, University of Stavanger in News