The 12,000-year-old petroglyph confuses researchers and hints at a lost civilization  

In the Konkan region of western Maharashtra, located in western India, five villages are always aware of the mysterious designs around them. The ancient paintings quickly attracted the attention of archaeologists. Curious, they continued to investigate the neighboring villages. The results really blew everyone away.

Thousands of rock carvings (also known as petroglyphs) dating back to prehistoric times have been discovered. Most of them have been forgotten for millennia since they were buried underground. The spectacular works of art feature a variety of themes, such as birds, animals, people and sea creatures, as well as unique geometric patterns.

The paintings are the only surviving fragments of a lost ancient civilization that no one knew existed. Therefore, they are the only source of information for archaeologists interested in learning more about the mysterious culture.

Because they painted on almost every hill at the time, archaeologists were able to determine that the civilization existed around 10,000 BC.

The scarcity of art depicting agriculture and the abundance of paintings depicting hunted animals gave the impression that these people were hunters and gatherers with little interest in agriculture. 

Because they drew on almost every hill at that time, archaeologists have been able to determine that the civilization existed approximately around 10,000 B.C.

The paucity of art representing farming and the abundance of paintings depicting hunted animals gave the impression that these people were hunters and gatherers with little interest in agriculture.

“We have not found any pictures of farming activities,” Tejas Garge, the director of the Maharashtra state archaeology department, told the BBC. “But the images depicted hunted animals and there’s detailing of animal forms. So this man knew about animals and sea creatures. That indicates he was dependent on hunting for food.”

There was a mystery surrounding these artists, who carved animals such as hippopotamus and rhinoceroses. Neither of these species has ever been existed in that region. The fact that the ancient civilization was aware of them provides evidence that the people came from another region or that western India once contained rhinos and hippos.