Eight-mile wall of prehistoric paintings of animals and humans is discovered in Amazon rainforest

The Sistine Chapel of the ancients’: Eight-mile wall of prehistoric paintings of animals and humans is discovered in heart of the Amazon rainforest

  • Eight-mile wall of prehistoric rock art in Colombia features animals and humans 
  • Discovered in the Amazonian rainforest after it was created up to 12,500 years
  • Found on cliff faces last year in the Chiribiquete National Park by archaeologists

An eight-mile wall of prehistoric rock art featuring animals and humans has been discovered in the Amazonian rainforest after it was created up to 12,500 years ago. 

The historical artwork, which is now being called the ‘Sistine Chapel of the ancients’, was uncovered on cliff faces last year in the Chiribiquete National Park, Columbia, by UK-Columbian team of archaeologists funded by European Research Council.

Among the paintings, that were created up to 12,500 years ago, are ones depicting the now-extinct mastodon that once inhabited North and Central America and the palaeolama – an extinct member of the camel family.

The eight-mile wall of prehistoric rock art featuring animals and human and created up to 12,500 years ago has been discovered by a team of team of archaeologists 

The team uncovered the historical artwork, which is now being called the 'Sistine Chapel of the ancients', on cliff faces last year in the Chiribiquete National Park, Columbia

The team uncovered the historical artwork, which is now being called the ‘Sistine Chapel of the ancients’, on cliff faces last year in the Chiribiquete National Park, Columbia

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Among the paintings are  discovery hat were created up to 12,500 years ago, are ones depicting the now now-extinct mastodon that once inhabited North and Central America and , the palaeolama- an extinct camelid.

It is believed that these images, which give a glimpse of a now lost and ancient civilisation, were created by some of the first ever humans to reach the Amazon. 

The fascinating discovery will now feature in a Channel 4 series Jungle Mystery: Lost Kingdoms of the Amazon, which will be in December.

The documentary’s presenter, Ella Al-Shamahi, an archaeologist and explorer, shared her excitement at seeing the images being brought back to life.

She told The Observer: ‘The new site is so new, they haven’t even given it a name yet.’   

Ella Al-Shamahi, an archaeologist and explorer, shared her excitement at seeing the images being resurrected

Ella Al-Shamahi, an archaeologist and explorer, shared her excitement at seeing the images being resurrected

Meanwhile the team’s leader José Iriarte, a professor of archaeology at Exeter University said: ‘When you’re there, your emotions flow … We’re talking about several tens of thousands of paintings. 

‘It’s going to take generations to record them … Every turn you do, it’s a new wall of paintings. We started seeing animals that are now extinct.’  

The site, which is located in the Serranía de la Lindosa, can be accessed by a two-hour drive from San José del Guaviare and is so remote that it is occupied by some of the region’s most dangerous animals. 

 

 

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