40-meter snakes are depicted in the mountains
Several monumental rock art sites have been discovered along the Orinoco River, which flows between Venezuela and Colombia. This area is home to the largest number of snakes, and some of them reach many tens of meters in length. Sometimes they can be seen several kilometers away if you swim down the river. These are the reptiles that were depicted on the mountain slopes.
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The discovered cave paintings have baffled archaeologists. It is still unknown exactly how old they are, but several monuments may be 2 thousand years old. This conclusion was made, among other things, on the basis of dated finds of similar objects.
The Orinoco is one of the largest rivers in the world, its length is more than 2,500 kilometers. Some sections of the river pass through inaccessible areas, and several indigenous groups live along the river.
Some rock art locations have been known for many years, while others have been discovered recently. A research team from Columbia and the UK, among others, spent several years mapping 14 such finds and came up with what they might mean. Some places had to be photographed using a drone because the pictures turned out to be very large.
“Snakes are generally perceived as quite threatening, so the placement of this rock art may have been a signal that you were mindful of your behavior in these areas,” suggests researcher Philip Riris. He and his colleagues believe that we are talking about boa constrictors or anacondas. And, according to researchers, the important point is that these snakes are dangerous.
Experts associate the snakes with several legends and stories from this part of the world. Snakes, among other things, often figure in creation myths.
In some places, snakes are carved into the rock on fairly shallow talus. Granite rock is covered with a dark biofilm, which is created by special types of bacteria. The shallow carvings are enough to reveal the mountain below, and the figures are visible from afar.
The rock art mostly depicts snakes, but human figures and geometric shapes are also present. Scholars have suggested that these designs and symbols were likely understood by several peoples living in the area. They also note that these snakes, called petroglyphs, are among the largest known in the world.