Archaeologists Reveal Rock Art May Depict People Singing While High

[Judi Lynn]

Published Apr 11, 2024 at 1:46 PM EDT
Updated Apr 11, 2024 at 1:51 PM EDT

By Jess Thomson
Science Reporter

Strange carvings found on Peruvian rocks may have been created by ancient humans that were tripping out, researchers have found.

Toro Muerto, where the carvings are located, is in a Peruvian desert gorge called the Majes River Valley and is home to around 2,600 volcanic boulders, each carved with ancient petroglyphs (a carving or inscription on a rock).

Now, new research by archaeologists from Poland's Adam Mickiewicz University and the University of Warsaw has revealed that the ancient artists may have been hallucinating as they worked, according to a new paper in the Cambridge Archaeological Journal.



A boulder (left) found in Peru shows ancient rock carvings. At right, a drawing of the danzantes (dancing figures) associated with the set of vertical and sinusoidal lines on the boulder. These drawings may be associated with hallucinogenic plants.

The volcanic boulders in Toro Muerto that have petroglyphs carved into them vary in size, from small stones to enormous rocks coated in multiple images. The people who carved these artworks are thought to have been part of the Wari culture, which existed between A.D. 500 and 1000.

More:
https://www.newsweek.com/ancient-rock-carvings-singing-peru-hallucinogens-1889460