Prehistoric art made on rocks and footprints of dinosaurs found very close together

Scientists exploring the rocky Sousa Basin in Brazil have discovered an unusual combination of paleontology and archaeology. Among three rock outcrops, they found well-preserved fossilized tracks from theropod dinosaurs dating back to the Early Cretaceous Period. Very close to the dinosaur footprints, some places have dozens of indigenous, circular-like petroglyphs made by ancient people on the rocks. sauropod, and Usually circular-like petroglyphs made by ancient people decorate the rocks very close to the dinosaur footprints.

The surprising connection between prehistoric people and dinosaurs

This pattern of petroglyphs close to dinosaur footprints has been observed in Australia, Poland, and the United States before. A petroglyph is a prehistoric drawing or carving on rock, created by removing part of the rock surface by incising, picking, carving, or abrading. It’s a form of prehistoric art, alongside the vivid cave paintings in Lascaux, France, or Altamira, Spain, which famously capture the essence of ancient life through intricate depictions of hunting scenes and wildlife.

However, the Serrote do Letreiro site in Brazil stands out because such close markings have not been seen before. The deliberate placement of the carvings around the dinosaur footprints indicates a meaningful connection between the prehistoric artists and whatever they thought those footprints belonged to.

The researchers at the National Historic and Artistic Heritage Institute in Brazil say that special care was taken by the artists not to disturb the fossils. Some of the carvings even mimic the footprints of the dinosaurs, matching the round base of the sauropod foot or the three toes on a theropod. They probably recognized the mysterious nature of these footprints, which never disappeared, unlike wet footprints they were used to that disappeared with the next rain.

Careful carving

“The petroglyphs were first carved by scraping with light contact between an abrasive instrument and the rock surface. Irregularities are observed on the inner edges of the rock grooves, a result of fast movement, causing friction between the instrument and the surface. Many of the petroglyphs underwent subsequent pecking so that the engraving line was refined by a series of continuous impacts using a sharp instrument,” the researchers wrote in their study that appeared in Scientific Reports.

Other similar rock artwork was found in other sites in the region, known as Dinosaur Valley. The artists used the same method of execution and preferred the same kind of rock surfaces, close to water sources. This suggests that they all might have belonged to the same social group.

Burials close to the sites helped the Brazilian researchers date the petroglyph to sometime between 9,400 and 2,620 years ago. The footprints are obviously much older, at least 65 million years old.

A timeless fascination

It’s incredible to see how our ancestors were just as intrigued by the old and mysterious as we are. This is why preserving these unique and remarkable sites at Dinosaur Valley is crucial, something that the researchers emphasize in their paper. The site’s outdoor setting exposes it to natural wear over time, which can erase these ancient marks. Human activities, including tourism and unauthorized access, can speed up this damage.

During this initial assessment, important safety measures are emphasized. These include the need to put up clear signs for visitors, indicating the location of the site, and providing instructions on basic visitation procedures. Additionally, the possibility of creating 3D replicas of footprints and petroglyphs as a way to record and protect these records is suggested by the authors.