Can you interpret this ancient rock art?
The sun is scorching. The land is nearly barren. And the only hint of rain comes from the sound of wind rustling cactus spines, trickle trickle trickle.
You are in the Brazilian Caatinga, home to one of the greatest concentrations of rock art, or pinturas rupestres, in the world. The open-air rock shelters and towering sandstone cliffs are living canvases of ancient paintings from the Upper Paleolithic Period to the Neolithic (50,000ā8,000 bce). A nearly secret location, the Serra da Capivara National Park in northeastern Brazil holds about 320,000 acres (130,000 hectares) of protected area with artifacts dating as far back as 50,000 years agoāolder than the more famous cave paintings in Altamira (Spain) and Lascaux (France). The UNESCO World Heritage site, designated in 1991, flourished under the care of the renowned Franco-Brazilian archaeologist NiĆØde Guidon.
Finger-painted over generations and later created using brushes made from fur and plants, the ancient rock art is thought to have served as a visual language for prehistoric peoples. Paintings passed down vital wisdom about flora and fauna while candidly documenting the full spectrum of human lifeāfrom group dances and hunts to intimacy, reproductive cycles, and rituals. Can you guess how some archaeologists interpret these seven rock art paintings?
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The rock art challenge
A manāno, a devilārolling a rock? Perhaps a dung beetle? Or a surprisingly realistic anatomical heart?
Answer: Experts believe this art may depict a human harvesting honey. Knowledge of honey gathering is ancient and shared by many peoples of the Serra da Capivara region. The desolate landscape and little human occupation thereafter helped preserve the rock art through centuries of exposure to wind, rain, and sun.
Hint: The park is named for the animal potentially depicted in this rock art.
Answer: Capybaras! Or capivaras in Portuguese. The symbol of the national park is this central portrait of two capybaras: a mother and her offspring. Other animals depicted in pinturas rupestres include armadillos, jaguars, and monkeys. Humans and nonhuman animals share the same visual space on many walls. Researchers believe this shows a deeply interconnected relationship between those prehistoric peoples and their surrounding environment.
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How about this one? The large object in the middle seems like it could be a giant sieve. Or maybe a large peanut? Or a Russian nesting doll?
Answer: Experts believe there are two human figures holding a net used for hunting. The absence of depictions of bows and arrows in many pinturas rupestres may indicate that the groups inhabiting the Serra da Capivara did not use them as weapons. Instead, other depictions of hunting show what is believed to be their tool of choice: a spear-thrower. New images were often painted over or alongside older ones, forming a layered and intricate record that developed over time.
Here we have a circle of people ready to play duck, duck, goose? Maybe a corporate community-building activity? Or maybe you see what some researchers see?
Answer: A ritual. Though the faith and worship systems of the time are largely unknown, researchers believe this rock art may depict a group in a trance state. Human figures are often seen in floating, dynamic, and contorted positions, potentially engaging in shamanic journeys or ritualistic collective dances. On their heads may be headpieces, or cocares. The intricate patterns used to fill the bodies could indicate ceremonial or formal attire of some sort.
The Tasmanian devil-esque figures are back in this rock art. No, they are not prehistoric Bob the Builders in a construction lineup.
Can you spot the difference between masculine and feminine figures?
Answer: Researchers believe feminine representations are identified by the presence of vulvae, or semicircles located between the legs. Masculine representations typically possess a phallus. Some figures have no discernible gender. Experts note that these could be theatrical representations of feminine or masculine figures, not actual men and women. Feminine figures are often painted larger than masculine ones, illustrating that they were active in hunting, gathering, and leadership. This could suggest that women were of equal or higher status than men.
A scorpion? The sketch of a tattoo you may profoundly regret?
Answer: Researchers believe that it could be a natural human biological process. The image on the left requires laboratory analysis because it is difficult to interpret. However, the smaller image on the right may be a depiction of a human defecating, menstruating, or giving birth.
If you see a kiss, you may be right.
Answer: Many researchers and romantics alike believe this could be one of the earliest depictions of human affection. It is one of the most contested works of rock art in the Serra da Capivara but also one of the most striking and extraordinary ones.
Painting the future
If you ever find yourself in the depths of the Brazilian Caatinga, perhaps you will notice a crack, shadow, or figure still undiscovered. With more than 1,000 cataloged sites and so many unexplored, the manner in which the pinturas rupestres are selected, collected, and recorded shapes their interpretation.
If you had iron-rich clay and a rock canvas, what would you paint for future civilizations to interpret and learn about life today?