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If one wishes to glimpse the ancient trophies
Pedra Furada, in a difficult, mountainous area of
north-
eastern Brazil, one must be prepared to fight intense dry heat, treacherous rocky ground,
sudden flooding,
boulders falling from cliffs, aggressive snakes and swarms of mosquitoes. It's worth
it, though, for the archaeological treasures to be found there are exceptionally ancient. Rock paintings
–vivid depictions of prehistoric ways of life, including dancing, hunting, war and sex rituals– have
been dated at more than 12,000 years old, while curious pebble structures, primeval bonfires, early
stone tools are up to 50,000 years old. The discovery of the remains had
a profound effect on our
knowledge of American prehistory, for they suggested that the first people in the New World arrived
not via a bridge of ice from Siberia but by sea from Africa or possibly even Australia.
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