Exeter UniversityArchaeologists at the University of Exeter are at the heart of a global event to showcase ancient rock art.
The Painted Forest event in Colombia will show works thought to be from the first humans to enter the Amazon.
The discoveries have been unearthed by Lastjourney, a Colombian-English research collaboration, in which the university has taken a central role.
The symposium will bring international experts together with representatives of indigenous peoples and artists.
Prof José Iriarte from the University of Exeter said: “What we have discovered here in Colombia is an incredible insight into one of the most momentous demographic dispersals of our species into the diverse environments of north west South America.”
Prof Iriarte said the rock art showed “a fascinating glimpse into the earliest artistic expressions of humans around the world”.
The artwork documents the arrival of the first humans in the north-western Amazon area almost 13,000 years ago, and the impact they had upon the landscape.
It will be on display in the Colombian city of San Jose de Guaviare, where delegates at the five-day symposium from 29 August to 2 September will sample rock painting and indigenous cooking and visit famous rock art sites of Cerro Azul, Raudal and Nuevo Tolima.
Project leaders from Lastjourney – which include the National University of Colombia, the University of Antioquia and the University of Exeter – will present a new bilingual (English/Spanish) guidebook for a layman’s audience, also titled The Painted Forest.
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