Prehistoric artists may have been inspired by dinosaur footprints to create their works under the effect of hallucinogenic substances: this is what emerges from the analysis of some figurative rock engravings (petroglyphs) created between 3,000 and 9,000 years ago in the archaeological site of Serrote do Letreiro in Brazil. The study is published in the journal Scientific Reports by a group of archaeologists and paleontologists led by Leonardo Troiano of the National Historical and Artistic Heritage Institute of Brasilia.
Paleontology and archaeology, in fact, blend perfectly in this site located 11 kilometers from the city of Sousa, in a rural area of eastern Brazil. The area has long been known to have ideal conditions for the preservation of dinosaur footprints. Those identified so far date back to around 40 million years ago and have been attributed to sauropod, theropod and ornithopod dinosaurs.
The Brazilian researchers decided to examine them for the first time in relation to the petroglyphs engraved on the rocks, looking for affinities or particular associations as had already been done in other sites in Australia, Poland and the United States. The study revealed the presence of "a notable grouping of petroglyphs and dinosaur footprints" which were found to be closely linked to each other. This suggests that the carvings may have been inspired by dinosaur footprints. The relationship appears evident considering the large number of engravings that were made near or next to the tracks: the ancient peoples of the region considered them important, so much so that they chose that site to create their works. According to the researchers, it is possible that the footprints or the creatures to which they were attributed had become part of ancient rituals and ceremonies.
The petroglyphs are mainly characterized by circular patterns and, according to scholars, may have been created by artists under the influence of hallucinogenic substances, due to their similarity to the visions commonly reported by people who use similar drugs in the modern era.
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