Most of the engravings on the River Negro - a major tributary of the Amazon in Manaus - are of facial expressions, some smiling and others looking grim.
The carvings are not usually visible because they are covered by the River Negro. But they were revealed when river recorded its lowest level in 121 years last weekAncient human faces believed to have been carved into rock up to 2,000 years ago have been revealed in the Amazon.
'The engravings are prehistoric, or precolonial. We cannot date them exactly, but based on evidence of human occupation of the area, we believe they are about 1,000 to 2,000 years old,' said archaeologist Jaime de Santana Oliveira. The river's source lies in Colombia, while it runs in an east-northeasterly direction through Venezuela and then southeasterly through Brazil's Amazon.Advertisement In one particular area there are smooth grooves which are thought to be where Indigenous inhabitants once sharpened their arrows and spears long before Europeans arrived.
'This time we found not just more carvings but the sculpture of a human face cut into the rock,' said Oliveira, who works for the National Historic and Artistic Heritage Institute that oversees the preservation of historic sites. 'The engravings are prehistoric, or precolonial. We cannot date them exactly, but based on evidence of human occupation of the area, we believe they are about 1,000 to 2,000 years old,' said archaeologist Jaime de Santana Oliveira
Historian Beatriz Carneiro said she hoped the latest discovery would help better understand the first people who inhabited the region, but also voiced concern about the knock-on effect of how it came about.'Having our rivers back and keeping the engravings submerged will help preserve them, even more than our work.'
The River Negro's source lies in Colombia, while it runs in an east-northeasterly direction through Venezuela and then southeasterly through Brazil's Amazon. Its mouth is in ManausThis is an irregular climate pattern over the Pacific Ocean that disrupts normal weather, adding to the effect of climate change.
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