Incredible Discoveries: Ancient Rock Engravings Unveiled in the Amazon
Prepare to be amazed! An extreme drought in parts of the Amazon has revealed a hidden treasure – dozens of rock formations adorned with intricate carvings of human figures. These remarkable engravings, believed to be around 2,000 years old, have been brought to light as the river water levels have dramatically dropped.
Livia Ribeiro, a resident of Manaus, the largest city in the Amazon, couldn’t believe her ears when she first heard about the engravings. “I thought it was a lie… I had never seen this. I’ve lived in Manaus for 27 years,” she exclaimed. After witnessing the dazzling relics for herself, Ribeiro expressed her concerns about the future of the river. “We come, we look at the engravings and we think they are beautiful. But at the same time, it is worrying… I also think about whether this river will exist in 50 or 100 years,” she pondered.
The emergence of these engravings has not only delighted scientists and the general public, but it has also raised unsettling questions. The drought in the Amazon has caused the river levels to plummet, affecting transportation and supplies in the region. The Brazilian government has sent emergency aid to the area, where once bustling riverbanks now lie dry and boats are stranded.
Experts attribute the severity of this year’s dry season to El Niño, an irregular climate pattern over the Pacific Ocean that disrupts normal weather. Combined with the effects of climate change, the Amazon is facing a dire situation. However, amidst the concern, the rock engravings at Praia das Lajes have been recognized as an archaeological site of “great relevance” by Jaime Oliveira of the Brazilian Institute of Historical Heritage (Iphan).
These engravings, discovered in 2010 during a previous drought, offer a glimpse into the lives of the first people who inhabited the region. Against the backdrop of dense jungle and the low brownish waters of the Negro River, the engravings depict human faces with a range of emotions. “The site expresses emotions, feelings, it is an engraved rock record, but it has something in common with current works of art,” explained Oliveira.
Beatriz Carneiro, a historian and member of Iphan, emphasized the invaluable value of Praia das Lajes in understanding the region’s early inhabitants. “Unhappily, it is now reappearing with the worsening of the drought,” Carneiro lamented. She believes that keeping the engravings submerged when the rivers are flooded will help preserve them even more effectively than human efforts.
As we marvel at these ancient rock carvings, let us also reflect on the fragile state of the Amazon and the urgent need to protect its natural wonders.
