Largest known prehistoric rock engravings discovered in South America

6 June 2024

A new study by an international team including Jose Oliver (UCL Institute of Archaeology) has revealed a series of ancient South American engravings thought to be the largest prehistoric rock art in the world.

Two researchers inspect the large etchings on the side of a rocky cliff (Image: Phil Riris)

The team, co-led by Phil Riris听at Bournemouth University听and Natalia Lozada Mendieta at the Universidad de los Andes in Colombia (both Institute of Archaeology alumni!), with Jose Oliver, published their results recently in听础苍迟颈辩耻颈迟测.

The engravings, found carved into rock faces along the Upper and Middle Orinoco River in Venezuela and Colombia, feature a range of imagery including depictions of giant snakes, human figures, and giant Amazonian centipedes.听The snakes, believed to be boa constrictors or anacondas,听played an important role in the myths and beliefs of the local indigenous population.

Some of the engravings are tens of metres long, with the largest measuring more than 40 metres in length, and are thought to have been used to mark the locations of prehistoric indigenous tribes.听The team believe this is the largest single rock engraving recorded anywhere in the world.

While some of the sites were already known, the team discovered several more and mapped 14 sites of monumental rock engravings, including ones which are more than four metres wide or high. The team worked with local guides and used drone photography to record the sites.

It is difficult to date rock engravings but similar motifs used on pottery found in the area indicate that they were created up to about 2,000 years ago, possibly much earlier.

According to Jose:

鈥�The engravings are mainly concentrated along a stretch of the Orinoco River called the Atures Rapids, which would have been an important prehistoric trade and travel route. We think that the engravings are meant to be seen specifically from the Orinoco because most travel at the time would have been on the river.听The Orinoco is generally quite navigable up to this point and so it would have been a natural stopping point. The archaeology tells us that it was it was a diverse environment and there was a lot of trade and interaction. This means it would have been a key point of contact, and so making your mark could have been all the more important because of that 鈥� marking out your local identity and letting visitors know that you are here.鈥�

Jose and colleagues conclude that it is vital that these monumental rock art sites are protected to ensure their preservation and continued study, with the indigenous peoples of the Orinoco region being central to this process.听

The research was funded by the Leverhulme Trust, The Society of Antiquaries of London, Universidad de los Andes, the Fundaci贸n de Investigaciones Arqueol贸gicas Nacionales (Colombia), and the British Academy.