Site in Paraíba brings together dinosaur footprints and engravings – 04/10/2024 – Science

Brazilian researchers have identified, in the backlands of Paraíba, a place with characteristics that have never been seen before in the world: the joint presence of dinosaur footprints and rock art.

The engravings were made by original people who inhabited the region long before the arrival of Europeans. For scientists, the fact that the engravings are close to, but never overlapped with, the fossil records indicates that these populations already valued and interacted with prehistoric remains.

The work, published in the specialized magazine Scientific Reports, was led by archaeologist Leonardo Troiano, who is linked to Iphan (Institute of National Historical and Artistic Heritage), but participated in the project independently.

“It’s really something unique in the world. We did a lot of research to be able to make this statement. We found several places where there are coincidences, where on a wall there is rock art and, further down a hill, we have dinosaur footprints. But there have never been records of these occurrences side by side”, said the researcher.

The municipality of Sousa, in the backlands of Paraíba, is well known for its abundance of prehistoric remains. The city even has a park, called Vale dos Dinosauros, where it is possible to follow some trails with footprints of these animals.

Although the presence of petroglyphs —engravings on stones or rocks— is common in the region, this material has historically received less attention compared to paleontological records.

The discovery was made in a place called Serrote do Letreiro, which received its name precisely because of the large presence of rock art, nicknamed “Indian letter” by the country people.

The site was formally described in 1979 by the Italian Giuseppe Leonardi, who mentioned the existence of the pretroglyphs as “carvings of indigenous people from Cariri”, without going into detail about the engravings.

For archaeologist Leonardo Troiano, European science often underestimated the achievements of Brazil’s original people. “This paradigm was established that these populations who lived here for thousands of years were completely obtuse to this heritage, which they saw, but did not know what it was. They were thought to be ignorant.”

The Brazilians’ research reveals a “close link” between dinosaur footprints and rock art, made up mainly of circular motifs and abstract designs.

“They may not have known that they were specifically dinosaurs, but they looked at the remains and understood it as part of their culture,” said the archaeologist.

Troiano explains that the difficulty in accessing the site and carrying out the artistic endeavor reinforces the intentionality of the engravings.

“It’s not easy to make a rock engraving. It’s not easy to hit a rock under the sun in the backlands of Paraíba. You get sick. I got sick several times, I had a colleague who passed out, it’s hard. There are poisonous plants, there are hallucinogenic plants “, he details. “Going there is an effort, it’s a big energy expenditure.”

One of the relationships identified by scientists was between petroglyphs and the footprints of sauropods, giant herbivores with extremely long necks. The people who left the records on the rocks probably recognized the large, round marks left by the animals and deliberately chose to leave the graphics nearby.

Another evidence of the assimilation of footprints by these communities is the art whose tridactyl format graphically reproduces the shape of dinosaur footprints.

Professor at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte paleontologist Aline Ghilardi, who also participated in the study, highlights that, in addition to their scientific value, fossils also have cultural importance.

“This is a site that speaks deeply to us. It’s easy to connect with the past and understand why ancient people marveled at the footprints on the rocks. It’s especially moving when, during sunset, the footprints and engravings stand out because of the indirect light. It’s like a journey through several layers of time.”

For the paleontologist, Brazil must now guarantee the protection of this place that is so special for science and indigenous peoples.

“It is a site that deserves a lot of care and attention. The family that currently owns the land where it is located takes care of the locality in the best way they can, and has always been very helpful in carrying out research. But it is urgent that additional protective measures be taken taken, and that the site is even proposed as a World Heritage Site.”

The study recognizes that precisely establishing the date on which the engravings were made is still a challenge. Analysis carried out on graves located within the occupation area shows that they date from a period between 2,600 and 9,400 years ago, which allows us to estimate the time of production.

The Brazilian group’s article has been receiving international attention. The researchers state, however, that the description of the presence of petroglyphs and their relationship with the original people is just the beginning. The group is already preparing other publications.

The meaning of what the original people wanted to express through rock art, however, is difficult to interpret.

“Conceptually, I think it’s impossible for us to know. These people died a long time ago. There’s no way to do an anthropological experiment, talk to them and understand the meaning,” he said.

“We work with the material record, with what is left behind. Instead of trying to decipher what a circle divided by two lines means, I stop to think about why that circle was positioned in that place, next to that footprint”, completed.