Perplexing Petroglyphs Put to the People

Ancient Origins Unleashed Debrief

Greetings the Unleashed!

This Easter weekend I have been both thrilled and confused by a visit to a set of petroglyphs hidden amongst the trees and foliage of an Andean hillside, just on the edge of the Ecuadorean Amazonian jungle.

We did not have a guide per se to the petroglyph site, which was in fact a multitude of engraved rocks scattered throughout the landscape, but the very helpful and friendly landowner did show us where a handful of them were. So the information I have on them is currently thin, and I’m still attempting to research their significance.

Here’s where I’m hoping the Unleashed community might help me out!

First, I’m scratching my head thinking about just how old they might be. The landowner mentioned 2-3000 years, but stone is hard to date. So I need to look into that further.

My next puzzle is just what were the artists trying to record or pass on with these motifs. With no experts to hand on the day, I’m going to ask you guys, to see what you come up with. Remember, these images are so old, most of the interpretation is left to theorizing, so even the experts are making educated guesses.

Here is a photo of one of the rocks with clear imagery. What do you think?

Here I see from left to right, perhaps a monkey or scorpion, an infinity sign, 2 scroll or abacus type objects (an indication of time or distance perhaps?), and a frog.

Any help with the scroll type images? (I have put ‘radiators’ out of the running 😉).

This motif was also interesting - some type of wheel?

And what about this - water, or a snake?

Perhaps the most perplexing is a recumbent rock further down the slope had a selection of cups with three channels intersecting some of them. Was this a calendar, a sacrificial stone or some other purpose(s)?

Cups of various types and sizes appear all over the world, and their purpose and function remain subjects of speculation. What might the South American ancients have been doing here, and are the channels connected with the cups?

The final enigma is the fact that some of the rocks really look like they have been cut or sawn, and lines gouged out. Any ideas why or how this could have been done?

It is certainly intriguing stuff, here in the heart of Ecuador, near Limon Indanza.

So there is your homework folks. Any ideas are welcome, and I will endeavor to find some answers myself and report back.

In the meantime, to the Editor’s choice of stories…

Most popular…

First Ever Scientific Underwater Excavation of Black Sea Reveals Ancient Harbor

In 2020, the first ever scientific underwater excavation ever undertaken in the Black Sea was started. Now, the results of that expedition are coming to light, revealing millennia-old artifacts and an ancient harbor town that survived for 1,500 years.

Kerpe is a small bay on the western coast of the Black Sea, around 100km (60 miles) as the crow flies from the great city of Istanbul. The Hellenic word for the bay was “Kalpe” which translates to “pot” or “jug” and hints at the importance of the bay in ancient times.

Kerpe was a commercial center through the Roman, Byzantine and Genoese periods, a stopping point and safe harbor for ships travelling along the Black Sea coastline. Now, the finds from this ancient settlement are being revealed in a new exhibition, reports Anatolian Archaeology.

Kerpe harbor was also a key port in the supply of timber and fuel to Istanbul during the Ottoman period, delivering logs, coal and construction materials to the city. However the harbor had been an important waypoint for long before the time of the Ottomans, before it eventually sunk under the waves.

Artifacts recovered from the sunken settlement have been dated up to 2,400 years old. These include amphorae, the containers popularly used for transport in ancient times, as well as other finds which would be expected from a trading center.

What else?

Tracks of tracks…

Dinosaur Tracks in Brazil Found to Have Petroglyph ‘Companions’

A study of a site in Brazil known for its dinosaur tracks has revealed stunning new details about previously unexamined petroglyphs that cover the very same set of rock formations as the ancient reptilian footprints. This astonishing convergence of paleontological and archaeological evidence is incredibly rare, and it promises to make the site known as Serota do Letreiro (“Signpost Hill” in English) a popular destination for scientists looking to learn more about ancient human culture, dinosaur history, or both.

Serrote do Letreiro is located in the state of Paraíba in northeastern Brazil. It consists of three rock outcrops that cover 160,000 square feet (15,000 sq m) of space, all of which feature a combination of dinosaur tracks and rock carvings. The site can be found within the greater confines of Brazil’s Valley of the Dinosaurs (which has been designated as a national monument), just outside the small municipality of Sousa (population 70,000).

The fossilized dinosaur footprints were first observed in the Sousa Basin (the geographical home of the Valley of the Dinosaurs) in the early 20th century. However, it wasn’t until 1975 that paleontologist Giuseppi Leonardi finally organized a team of investigators to visit the region and officially verify the existence of the dinosaur tracks. It was during a 1979 expedition that Leonardi discovered the site of Serrote do Letreiro, and while his focus was naturally on the fossil record, he did make reference in his writings to petroglyphs that were observed there as well. He did not investigate them further, however, and his disinterest was seemingly shared by later visitors to the site.

Read more…

Obscene idea…

Rapa Nui Obsidian Discovery: Did the Islanders sail to America?

It has long been thought that the people of Rapa Nui (popularly called Easter Island) lived a largely isolated existence, cut off from other lands by the vast and treacherous ocean. However, a new discovery on the islands suggests that the islanders were in contact with their continental neighbors.

The first settlers of Rapa Nui a thousand years ago left behind ancient food remains on obsidian blades, and the analysis paints a fascinating picture. Examination of the starch grains clinging to these obsidian blades indicates that the earliest inhabitants of the island indulged not only in the indigenous plants of Polynesia but also in foods native to South America, located approximately 2,300 miles (3700 km) away.

The study, published in PLOS One, has been conducted by archaeologists from various Chilean institutions at the archaeological site of Anakena, which represents Rapa Nui's earliest known settlement from around 1000 to 1300 AD. Evidence suggests that regular contact was maintained between early Polynesians and South Americans dating back a millennium, wherein the former would travel to South America and interact with the inhabitants, before voyaging back.

The findings…

Iron men…

Forging a Nation: The Iron Age Tribes of Britain

The Iron Age tribes of Britain were dynamic societies that flourished between roughly 800 BC and 43 AD. This pivotal period marked a significant transition in British history, characterized by the widespread use of iron tools and weapons, the emergence of complex social structures and the construction of impressive hillforts and settlements across the landscape.

Often organized into distinct communities with their own leaders and customs, the Iron Age tribes of Britain navigated a landscape shaped by both cooperation and conflict. Through archaeological discoveries and ongoing research, we continue to unravel the mysteries of these ancient peoples and gain insight into their daily lives, beliefs and interactions.

The British Iron Age and the Tribes Recorded by the Romans

As a period, the British Iron Age began around 800 to 600 BC and lasted until the Romans invaded and established the province of Britannia between 50 BC and around 100 AD. The people of Iron Age Britain lived in tribal groups ruled over by chieftains. Historians usually divide the period into three eras—the early, middle and late. It’s believed that during the Early Iron Age, the relationship between different Iron Age tribes was often antagonistic but evolved over time, especially as many of the tribes began to unite during the Roman Conquest.

There were many, many tribes. At the time of the Roman Conquest, there were at least 27 major tribes with many other smaller offshoots. The Roman historian Tacitus believed that the ancient Britons were all immigrants who had arrived in Britain from the continent. He wrote that the different tribes had origins in various parts of the continent, for example, the people of Caledonia were German, the Silures of Wales were Iberian and those in the South came from Gaul.

Much of what we know about the tribes comes from Greek and Roman historians and scholars who visited the land in the second century AD (long after the Romans had staked their claim). Ptolemy’s writings were particularly influential as his works give us many of the tribes’ names and geographical locations. Some of his musings have been backed up by archaeological evidence, especially the distribution of coins from different tribes and pottery fragments unique to each tribe's culture as well as their burial sites.

There are more Iron Age tribes than we can list here so we’ve included only the most powerful, influential and downright interesting. It should be noted that the names used here were given by Roman and Greek historians and in most cases, the tribes themselves never used these names.

The Tribes…

Speechless…

Language Developed 8 Times Earlier Than Previously Thought, Says New Book

A landmark new book that has researched evolutionary and linguistic development of prehistoric humans, has found that language might be older almost 8 times over what was previously believed, i.e., 1.6 million years ago, instead of 200,000 years ago! This practice of the most rudimentary forms of language likely began in eastern or southern Africa, which corresponds with an increase in brain size and a slew of other evolutionary developments between 2 and 1.5 million years ago.

“Humanity’s development of the ability to speak was without doubt the key which made much of subsequent human physical and cultural evolution possible. That’s why dating the emergence of the earliest forms of language is so important,” said British archaeologist Dr. Steven Mithen, professor of early prehistory at the University of Reading, to The Independent. He is the author of the fascinating new book ‘The Language Puzzle’.

Until recently, experts believed humans began speaking only 200,000 years ago. However, based on a detailed study of all the available archaeological, paleo-anatomical, genetic, neurological and linguistic evidence, Professor Mithen's research suggests rudimentary language’s birth is much older, occurring between two and 1.5 million years ago.

More talk…

Not new, but very popular…

Han Purple: The 2,800-Year-Old Mystery Solved by Quantum Physicists

Han purple, an artificial pigment created by the Chinese over 2,500 years ago, was used in ancient artworks such as wall paintings, the famed terracotta warriors, ceramics, metalware and jewelry. A technological wonder, the pigment was made through a complex process of grinding up raw materials in precise proportions and heating to high temperatures. So intricate was the process that it remained a mystery until 1992, when chemists were finally able to identify its composition.

But this was just the beginning. Research since then has discovered amazing properties of Han purple, including the ability to emit powerful rays of light in the near-infrared range, as well as the capability to collapse three dimensions down to two under the right conditions.

The production of Han purple, otherwise known as Chinese purple, dates back as far as 800 BC. However, it appears that it was not used in art until the Qin and Han Dynasties (221 BC to 220 AD), when it was applied to the world-famous terracotta warriors, as well as ceramics and other items.

“Prior to the nineteenth century, when modern production methods made synthetic pigments common, there were only hugely expensive purple dyes, a couple of uncommon purplish minerals, and mixtures of red and blue, but no true purple pigment – except during a few hundred years in ancient China,” wrote Samir S. Patel in  Archaeology.

For an unknown reason, Han purple disappeared entirely from use after 220 AD, following the end of the Qin and Han Dynasties. It remained absent until its rediscovery by modern chemists in the 1990s, sparking renewed interest in its historical and scientific significance.

How purple was made…

Til next time… don’t forget your homework…

Gary Manners - Senior Editor, Ancient Origins