Archaeologist Edithe Pereira travels deep into the heart of the Monte Alegre region of Brazil to study paintings found on the rockface there. Careful to avoid the surrounding wasp nests, she and her team have dated these paintings to 12,000 BCE — the oldest known traces of human presence in the whole of Amazonia.
TRANSCRIPT
-These fragments come from the Monte Alegre region, in the heart of the Amazon, where this art form was born.
♪♪ Reaching the area requires a 400-mile journey upriver from the mouth of the Amazon, and then a connection with one of the river buses that travel to isolated villages.
Archaeologist Edithe Pereira has been making the trip regularly for more than 10 years.
And each time, it's a journey back to Amazonian prehistory.
♪♪ The very first traces of human settlement can be found here.
Drawings on the rock face that date back to 12,000 BCE.
♪♪ But these decorations, that have lasted millennia, are now in danger.
-[ Speaking native language ] [ Speaking native language ] -The biggest problem here today is wasps.
[ Wasps buzzing ] A type of wasp makes its nest very close to the paintings.
-[ Speaking native language ] -And sometimes on top of the paintings.
-It's a very real risk for the paintings... and for the scientists.
Several stings from these large insects can be fatal.
[ Buzzing continues ] No loud talking or sudden movements.
♪♪ These are the only paintings in the area that have been successfully dated, and they are much older than was previously thought.
