Paintings of creepy creatures with large heads discovered in ancient caves. Photo

Rock paintings of ancient people, some of which have stumped scientists, were discovered in the Swaga Swaga Game Reserve in central Tanzania. In addition to traditional animals, the drawings depict huge humanoid creatures with disproportionately giant heads.

The discovery was made in 2018 and described in an article published in the journal Antiquity. Scientists assume that the drawings are very old as weathering has significantly destroyed them. It is impossible to determine the exact date.

The strange drawings were found in a place known as Amak'hee 4. Almost all of the drawings, including the strange creatures, are made with red pigment, except for five figures drawn in white.

The weathering of this red pigment, according to the researchers, is an indication that the drawing is quite old and probably dates back to the time of hunter-gatherer societies in the region.

The rock art depicts a variety of animals, including antelopes, buffaloes, and even a giraffe. But three tall figures with giant heads stand out.

Scientists assume that these three figures have heads stylized as buffalo heads, but their bodies do not resemble these animals at all.

Researchers have tried to find information about buffalo-headed people or people who turned into buffaloes in the myths of the Sandawe people, who are descendants of those who once inhabited the region, but nothing like this was found. At the same time, the Sandawe did use buffalo horns in certain rituals.

However, scientists believe that the images may have a completely different explanation.

It is worth noting that similar but not so clear drawings of creatures with large heads have been found before. Very similar figures were found not far from Amak'hee 4 in two places in the Kondoa region of central Tanzania, but they seemed to be lying on the ground there, not standing.

Nevertheless, the figures are similar: they are connected by a line running through their middle and have a similar arrangement and direction of their hands and arms.

At the same time, the figures from Amak'hee 4 have some important differences: their heads seem to be filled with solid color. And the creatures themselves seem to be the center of the composition.

Earlier, OBOZ.UA told about an ancient rock painting, which turned out to be a drawing of an 8,000-year-old megastructure.

Subscribe to OBOZ.UA on Telegram and Viber to keep up with the latest events.