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A gallery of strikingochrepaintings drawn onto massive rock faces offers insight into the close kinship between world and beast live in the Amazon chiliad of eld ago .
The graphics is located on stony outcroppings at Cerro Azul in Serranía de la Lindosa , a cliff in Colombia . It feature 3,223 drawings of homo and creature , let in a zoological garden of fish , reptile and mammalian of various sizes , according to a new study in the September issue of theJournal of Anthropological Archaeology .
The gallery of rock art is the earliest evidence of humans living in western Amazonia.
Some of the mental imagery even depicts animals and humans morph into each other , indicating " the plenteous mythology that guided genesis of indigenous Amazonians , " according to a statement from theUniversity of Exeter .
Although the investigator have not formally dated the canvas tent of artistic production , they calculate that it has been around since 10500 B.C.
" These sway art sites admit the earliest evidence of humans in westerly Amazonia , date stamp back 12,500 years , " chair authorMark Robinson , an associate prof in the Department of Archaeology and account at the University of Exeter , said in the statement .
The rock art contains an array of subject matter, including (a) fishing; (b, c, e) hunting; (d) a monkey leaping; and (f) an unknown animal with circular feat and curved head elements.
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The team found at least 22 species of animals , let in deer , birds , peccary , lizards , turtle and tapir . After comparing the animal drawings with ancient butchered animal bones found in nearby dig , the archeologist found that the relative representation of drawings by species did not twin the proportion of animal pearl , indicate that the autochthonic hoi polloi did n’t just paint what they ate . The slaughter finger cymbals included a diverse dieting , including fish , mammals and reptiles , such as snakes and crocodile .
" The art is an amazing insight into how these first settlers interpret their place in the world and how they shape relationships with creature , " Robinson say . " The context demonstrates the complexity of Amazonian relationships with animals , both as a food origin but also as idolize beingness , which had supernatural connection and demanded complex negotiations from ritual specialists . "
Because the rock art is so across-the-board , the research worker opted to focus on six gore , include the 131 - foot - long ( 40 meters ) El Más Largo , which contains 1,000 drawings , and the much modest 33 - foot - long ( 10 m ) panel known as Principal , which bear 244 images , consort to the statement .
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After cataloging the artwork , researcher receive that 58 % of the drawings were figural , of which half were images of animals . They also noticed scenes depicting masses fishing .
researcher can only contemplate about the use and import of the rock and roll art .
" Though we can not be sure what meaning these images have , they sure do offer greater nuance to our understanding of the power of myths in indigenous community , " field co - authorJosé Iriarte , a prof of archeology at the University of Exeter , said in the statement . " They are specially revealing when it comes to more cosmogonic aspects of Amazonian life , such as what is considered taboo , where power resides , and how negotiation with the supernatural were conduct . "
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