30 October 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

16 New Ancient Rock Art Sites Discovered In Jalapão, Brazil

Archaeologists at Brazil’s National Institute of Historical and Artistic Heritage (Iphan) discovered 16 new archaeological sites while surveying a large area in Jalapão, in the eastern part of the state of Tocantins.

According to a press statement by Brazil’s Ministry of Culture, the sites feature rock art—including human and animal footprints, engraved symbols, and figures representing celestial bodies—thought to have been made around 2,000 years ago.

Rômulo Macedo, an archaeologist, has been leading a team that has been looking for undiscovered sites in the region since 2022. These 16 sites represent only the most current research.

 However, Macedo said in a statement that human activity like vandalism and deforestation, along with natural disasters like wind erosion and forest fires, pose a threat to the recently found sites. As part of its efforts to preserve the sites, Iphan is undertaking conservation and educational projects in the region to protect the sites.

The discovery has been added to an archaeological complex of sites within the Jalapão region, where human occupation has been documented as far back as 12,000 years ago.



📣 Our WhatsApp channel is now LIVE! Stay up-to-date with the latest news and updates, just click here to follow us on WhatsApp and never miss a thing!!



Photo: Rômulo Macedo/Iphan

There are many sites in the state that Iphan registered, and many of them are now a part of a larger archaeological complex in Jalapão. These areas include pre-colonial archaeological sites that were established before the arrival of European colonists, as well as evidence of human settlements dating back 12,000 years.

Furthermore, the presence of archaeology-related structures emphasizes the region’s importance as a meeting point between the Amazon Forest and the Cerrado biome of Central Brazil.

As infrastructure development in the Amazon states accelerates, Tocantins has seen a significant increase in archaeological research as part of environmental licensing.  This has made it possible to collect data from archaeological sites that were not previously explored.

In this case, archaeological work is done by companies dedicated to preserving heritage in areas impacted by economic activities. Two key actions are prioritized: organizing and sharing information about discovered assets, and incorporating archaeological considerations into environmental licensing procedures.

IPHAN

Cover Photo:  Gabriel Castaldini

Related Articles

A new magnetic survey of the ancient Assyrian capital of Khorsabad has revealed a 127-room villa twice the size of the U.S. White House

26 December 2024

26 December 2024

Archaeologists in northern Iraq have conducted an extensive magnetic survey using an exhaustive magnetic survey at Khorsabad, once the ancient...

2000-year-old glass treasure in Roman shipwreck discovered by an underwater robot in Mediterranean

24 July 2023

24 July 2023

The Italian-French mission recovered a selection of glassware and raw glass blocks from the Roman shipwreck located at a depth...

Who will solve the puzzle of Bronze Age tin? Origin of tin ingots from Uluburun shipwreck disputed – the metal may have come from Cornwall

3 October 2023

3 October 2023

The exact origin of tin in the Bronze Age is the Holy Grail of archaeometallurgists: For 150 years, experts have...

The first and largest astronomical observatory of the 6th century BC discovered in Egypt’s Kafr El-Sheikh

24 August 2024

24 August 2024

Archaeologists in Egypt unveiled the first and largest astronomical observatory from the 6th century BCE in the Buto Temple at...

The Oldest Known Carvel-Built Shipwreck in the Nordic Region Found

6 March 2025

6 March 2025

Maritime archaeologists from the Museum of Wrecks (Vrak) in Stockholm have made a groundbreaking discovery off the coast of Sweden:...

Roman-era marble sundial found for the first time in Turkey’s second Ephesus

26 September 2022

26 September 2022

Archaeologists have unearthed a Roman-era marble sundial in the ancient city of Aizanoi in the Çavdarhisar district of Kütahya province...

A cobbled ford uncovered near Evesham could be the finest Roman example of its type in Britain

19 October 2022

19 October 2022

A cobbled ford believed to be of Roman construction has been discovered near Evesham in Worcestershire, England. If the path...

Archaeologists Unearth Rare 9,000-Year-Old Stone Age Hammer in Norway

4 October 2025

4 October 2025

Archaeologists in Norway have uncovered a rare and fascinating piece of history: a 9,000-year-old hammer dating back to the Stone...

A New Picene Prince Tomb Dating to the 7th Century BC with Two Chariots Discovered in Corinaldo, Italy

29 July 2024

29 July 2024

Following the discovery of the so-called ‘Prince of Corinaldo’ in 2018, archaeologists from the University of Bologna have discovered a...

Statue of Roman Emperor Hadrianus found in western Turkey

14 September 2021

14 September 2021

Excavations in the ancient city of Alabanda in the western province of Aydin have uncovered pieces of the statue of...

Researchers Make Distilled Wine in a Replica of a 2,000-year-old Bronze Vessel Found in the Emperor’s Tomb

1 January 2025

1 January 2025

Archaeologists in China have produced distilled wine in a replica of a 2,000-year-old bronze vessel recovered from an emperor’s tomb,...

An 8,500-year-old trepanned skull discovered in Çatalhöyük

23 December 2023

23 December 2023

Traces of trepanation (skull drilling operation) were found on a skull found in the 9,000-year-old Çatalhöyük, near the modern city...

Urfa Castle Yields Mysterious Rock-Cut Tomb Possibly Tied to Abgar Dynasty—Early Christian Allies of Jesus

5 July 2025

5 July 2025

A recent archaeological breakthrough in southeastern Turkey has stirred excitement in the academic world. Deep within the inner citadel of...

Elamite clay tablet discovered 4500 years old, in southwest Iran

4 December 2021

4 December 2021

A clay tablet, estimated to be from the Elam period, about 4500 years old, was recently discovered in southwestern Iran....

A center on the Anatolian Mesopotamian trade route; Tavsanli Mound

24 October 2021

24 October 2021

Excavations at Tavşanlı mound, which is known to be the first settlement in Western Anatolia during the Bronze Age, continue....