Archaeologists Discover Thousands Of Ancient Cave Paintings Deep Withing The Amazon Rainforest

If you think that so far 2020 has been nothing but a never-ending series of bad news, today we have something that will change your mind. Just a few days ago, a team of archaeologists led by José Iriarte discovered tens of thousands of perfectly preserved cave paintings on an 8-mile stretch of cliff deep within the Amazon rainforest, and if that's not the good news you were looking for, we don't know what is. The cave paintings, dating back around 12,500 years, feature images of various animals, including long-extinct ones, such as giant sloths, camelids, and mastodons. Dr. Mark Robinson, a professor at the University of Exeter and part of the research team, said that the images were produced by the earliest people to live in western Amazonia. "It is unbelievable to us today to think they lived among, and hunted, giant herbivores, some which were the size of a small car,” said the professor.

Archaeologists recently discovered thousands of perfectly preserved cave paintings deep within the Amazon rainforest

Image credits: channel 4 Image credits: gipri Image credits: gipri Some people have even nicknamed the newly-found the "Sistine Chapel of the ancients”. Even though its location is currently kept secret, Channel 4 has recently filmed it for a series titled Jungle Mystery: Lost Kingdoms of the Amazon that will air sometime in December.

The images date around 11,800 - 12,500 years

Image credits: gipri Image credits: gipri Image credits: gipri The team that discovered the paintings featured British and Colombian researchers, including José Iriarte, a professor of archaeology at Exeter University. “When you’re there, your emotions flow … We’re talking about several tens of thousands of paintings," said the professor. "It’s going to take generations to record them … Every turn you do, it’s a new wall of paintings.”

The drawings feature various animals, including long-extinct ones

Image credits: gipri Image credits: gipri Image credits: gipri “The pictures are so natural and so well-made that we have few doubts that you’re looking at a horse, for example," explained José. "The ice-age horse had a wild, heavy face. It’s so detailed, we can even see the horse hair. It’s fascinating.” According to the professor, the paintings show how these early humans hunted, farmed, fished, and reconstructed the land. “It is likely art was a powerful part of culture and a way for people to connect socially," explained José. "The pictures show how people would have lived amongst giant, now extinct, animals, which they hunted.”

See more pictures of the incredible new discovery below!

Image credits: gipri Image credits: gipri Image credits: gipri Image credits: gipri Image credits: gipri Image credits: gipri