Drought, a helping hand for archaeologists

In every adversity, there can also be a silver lining. It all depends on the perspective from which things are viewed and the ability to overcome a major setback. Extreme drought, however, provides satisfaction to some people. The water levels of several rivers in the Amazon have drastically dropped due to an episode of extreme drought, revealing rocks, typically submerged, adorned with rock art that could date back over 2,000 years, as reported by AFP. "I thought it was a lie," said Livia Ribeiro, who has lived in Manaus, the capital of the state of Amazonas in northern Brazil, for 27 years, situated on the banks of the Rio Negro. "I've never seen anything like it," she added after noticing the petroglyphs along the river at Praia das Lajes. Most of them depict human faces, rectangular or oval, with smiling or more somber expressions. The waters of the Rio Negro, one of the main tributaries of the Amazon, whose flow reached the lowest level in the last 121 years last week, have covered the rocky formations and the rock art on them until now. Although the discovery of this art due to the drought has delighted scientists and curious visitors, it raises questions. "We come, we look at the rock engravings, and we find them splendid. But at the same time, it is worrying," said Livia Ribeiro. "I wonder if this river will still exist in 50 or 100 years," she added. The extreme drought in the Amazon has led to a critical drop in river levels, causing major navigation problems, essential for supplying isolated areas. According to experts, the situation is also exacerbated by El Niño, a cyclical meteorological phenomenon originating in the Pacific, which reduces cloud formation and, therefore, precipitation. During a previous drought episode in 2010, rock engravings were first observed. They constitute an archaeological site of "great importance," said archaeologist Jaime Oliveira of the National Institute of Historic and Artistic Heritage (IPHAN). Nevertheless, as significant as these discoveries are, the concern generated by the drought remains.