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Can you interpret this ancient rock art?
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Prehistoric rock paintings on a sandstone wall at Serra da Capivara National Park, Brazil, showing stylized human and animal figures in red, white, and brown pigments. Prehistoric rock painting in red ochre showing a human figure with an outstretched arm reaching toward a large oval shape, likely depicting a honey-gathering scene, on a stone wall. Inspiration for the Serra da Capivara National Park symbol Ancient rock paintings in Serra da Capivara, Brazil, show two human figures holding a net, groups of people, animals including two monkeys, and large animal shapes painted in red ochre. Prehistoric rock painting at Serra da Capivara, Brazil, showing red ochre human figures in headdresses walking in a line, with faint ritualistic and indeterminate scenes nearby. Prehistoric red ochre rock paintings in Serra da Capivara, Brazil, show stylized human figures in scenes of violence, ritual procession, and figures with prominent phalluses. Red ochre prehistoric rock painting on textured stone in Serra da Capivara, Brazil, showing a human-like figure with markings extending from the lower body. Prehistoric rock painting in red ochre on a rough stone surface at Serra da Capivara, Brazil, depicting two abstract human figures facing each other in a pose interpreted as a kiss.
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Prehistoric rock paintings on a sandstone wall at Serra da Capivara National Park, Brazil, showing stylized human and animal figures in red, white, and brown pigments.
Rock art at the Toca do BoqueirĆ£o da Pedra Furada site in the Serra da Capivara National Park, PiauĆ­, Brazil The rock art in the Caatinga region was produced from locally sourced reddish ocher (iron oxide) and clay of different colors, appearing mostly in red and sometimes in black, white, and yellow.

Can you interpret this ancient rock art?

A guide to interpreting Brazilian pinturas rupestres
Written by
Estela Morais Westphalen
Estela Morais Westphalen was an Editorial Intern for Encyclopaedia Britannica. Estela graduated from Brown University with a Master's in Public Affairs and a bachelor's degree magna cum laude...
Estela Morais Westphalen
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Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
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ā€¢History

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 (50,000ā€“8,000 bce). A nearly...

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