Dancing in trance: Ancient humans possibly danced under hallucinogenic influence, archaeologists suggest

Researchers have found unusual carvings on Peruvian rocks that might have been created by ancient humans who here high. The carvings are located in Toro Muertoin a Peruvian desert valley dubbed as the Majes River Valley. The valley is home to over 2,500 volcanic boulders which are carved with ancient inscriptions.

These inscriptions or petroglyphs might have been carved byhallucinating ancient artists according to the research published in theCambridge Archaeological Journal.

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The archaeologists from Poland's Adam Mickiewicz University and the University of Warsaw who conducted the study found a characteristic feature in the Toro Muertoin's petroglyph iconography that is human figures engaged in dance, referred to asdanzantes,oftenaccompanied by geometric patterns, predominantly variations of zigzag lines.

The researchers have multiple theories for what these lines could represent:

Songs or wild dancing

"We suggest that zigzag lines could be representations of songs, which seems particularly intriguing given the repeated juxtaposition of these patterns with the figures of dancers at Toro Muerto, not only in the more complex compositions (Figs 4–8) but also in the less complex as well," the paper read.

Visual metaphors for passage to the afterlife

It is also speculated that some complex arrangements of danzantes and linear geometric patterns might serve as visual representations of transitioning to the afterlife.

"Our interpretation suggests that the banded structures of geometric patterns could be representations of the cosmos—its spheres and events connected to its creation and its exploration, which could have come about during ritual ceremonies of which dance and song were the quintessence," researchers said. "The associations of danzantes with banded structures of patterns might embody visualization of being in this parallel world, emphasizing its authenticity and invariability," they added.

Influence of hallucinogenic plants

They further suggest that the carvings and patterns around the dancing folks are to convey experiencing music while under the influence of some type of psychedelic. The authors believe that these engravings were created while under the influence of hallucinogenic plants.

"The scene on boulder TM 1219 indeed presents surprising similarities to the Tukano drawings, in terms not only of individual motifs but also their arrangement," the researchers said.

Earlier research has shown that many of these carvings were carvedduring rituals by people under the influence of ayahuasca, a beverage prepared from psychotropic vines. The carvings in Toro MuertoinGiven are similar to those in the earlier research leading to the belief that they were created by people on hallucinogenic herbs.