The Face of Pedra da Gávea
A granite mountain in Rio looks like a giant face, and marks on its side were once read as an ancient Phoenician inscription.
What was reported
Pedra da Gávea is an 844-metre granite dome rising from the coast of Rio de Janeiro, one of the largest coastal monoliths in the world. One side looks like a weathered human face.
In the 19th century, marks on the rock were claimed to be a Phoenician inscription naming a king of Tyre, and some later writers said the mountain hid a tomb, proof that ancient Mediterranean sailors had reached Brazil.
Explanations offered
Geologists say both the 'face' and the 'inscription' are natural weathering of the granite, and there's no evidence of Phoenicians in Brazil. Pedra da Gávea is now a popular climb and a launch point for hang-gliders.
- When
- Claims from the 1800s
- Where
- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Witnesses
- Climbers and visitors
- Status
- Explained
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.