Abstract
BackgroundMost investigations regarding the First Americans have primarily focused on four themes: when the New World was settled by humans; where they came from; how many migrations or colonization pulses from elsewhere were involved in the process; and what kinds of subsistence patterns and material culture they developed during the first millennia of colonization. Little is known, however, about the symbolic world of the first humans who settled the New World, because artistic manifestations either as rock-art, ornaments, and portable art objects dated to the Pleistocene/Holocene transition are exceedingly rare in the Americas.Methodology/Principal FindingsHere we report a pecked anthropomorphic figure engraved in the bedrock of Lapa do Santo, an archaeological site located in Central Brazil. The horizontal projection of the radiocarbon ages obtained at the north profile suggests a minimum age of 9,370±40 BP, (cal BP 10,700 to 10,500) for the petroglyph that is further supported by optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dates from sediment in the same stratigraphic unit, located between two ages from 11.7±0.8 ka BP to 9.9±0.7 ka BP.ConclusionsThese data allow us to suggest that the anthropomorphic figure is the oldest reliably dated figurative petroglyph ever found in the New World, indicating that cultural variability during the Pleistocene/Holocene boundary in South America was not restricted to stone tools and subsistence, but also encompassed the symbolic dimension.
Highlights
In the last few decades, information on the biology and archaeological context of the first Native Americans has greatly increased
These data allow us to suggest that the anthropomorphic figure is the oldest reliably dated figurative petroglyph ever found in the New World, indicating that cultural variability during the Pleistocene/Holocene boundary in South America was not restricted to stone tools and subsistence, and encompassed the symbolic dimension
We know that the first Americans looked very different from Late Prehistoric and current Native Americans [1,2,3,4], that the lithic industry and subsistence pattern of the pioneers varied considerably from region to region [5,6,7], and that people were present in the New World prior to Clovis [8,9,10]
Summary
In the last few decades, information on the biology and archaeological context of the first Native Americans has greatly increased. Little is known about early American art. We report here on early rock art discovered at Lapa do Santo, an archaeological site located in Central Brazil. The site is one of the largest rock shelters excavated in the Lagoa Santa region, with a sheltered area of 1,300 m2 (70 meters long and 20 meters wide). Most investigations regarding the First Americans have primarily focused on four themes: when the New World was settled by humans; where they came from; how many migrations or colonization pulses from elsewhere were involved in the process; and what kinds of subsistence patterns and material culture they developed during the first millennia of colonization. About the symbolic world of the first humans who settled the New World, because artistic manifestations either as rock-art, ornaments, and portable art objects dated to the Pleistocene/ Holocene transition are exceedingly rare in the Americas
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