Giant rats lead scientists to ancient face carvings (East Timor)

CSIRO ^ | February 11, 2011 | Unknown

[decimon]

Ancient stone faces carved into the walls of a well-known limestone cave in East Timor have been discovered by a team searching for fossils of extinct giant rats.

The team of archaeologists and palaeontologists were working in Lene Hara Cave on the northeast tip of East Timor.

“Looking up from the cave floor at a colleague sitting on a ledge, my head torch shone on what seemed to be a weathered carving,” CSIRO’s Dr Ken Aplin said.

“I shone the torch around and saw a whole panel of engraved prehistoric human faces on the wall of the cave.

“The local landowners with whom we were working were stunned by the findings. They said the faces had chosen that day to reveal themselves because they were pleased by the field work we were doing.”

The Lene Hara carvings, or petroglyphs, are frontal, stylised faces each with eyes, a nose and a mouth. One has a circular headdress with rays that frame the face.

[decimon]

Group of petroglyphs in Lena Hara Cave, East Timor. Credit: John Brush

[decimon]

Rat face ping.

This looks familiar but I don’t see it posted.

[mkmensinger]

ROUSes? (Princess Bride)

[rightwingintelligentsia]

That was nice of the DNC . . . oh, wait.

[Beowulf9]

On the one hand, it’s difficult to create fine art using primitive stone tools and carving rocks in a dark cave.

On the other hand, it’s everlasting fame.

[Erasmus]

Here's an old dramatic presentation about it called The Tale of the Giant Rat of Sumatra .

[WOBBLY BOB]

http://uglydemocrats.com/democrats/United-States/Henry-Waxman/Henry-Waxman-Nostrils.jpg

[SunkenCiv]

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[null and void]

The Lene Hara carvings, or petroglyphs, are frontal, stylised faces each with eyes, a nose and a mouth. One has a circular headdress with rays that frame the face.

ALIENS! </Arnold J Rimmer>

[shield]

There are much better pictures at a link on the page with the original article.

[decimon]

There are much better pictures at a link on the page with the original article.

Can you give that link? I'm not seeing it. Thanks.

[Fred Nerks]

Although stylised engravings of faces occur throughout Melanesia, Australia and the Pacific, the Lene Hara petroglyphs are the only examples that have been dated to the Pleistocene. No other petroglyphs of faces are known to exist anywhere on the island of Timor.

SOURCE

[decimon]

Thanks.

[shield]

Link to additional photos

[decimon]

Thanks.