The Ingá Stone
Beside a river in north-eastern Brazil lies a long rock face covered in carved symbols that no one has been able to read.
What was reported
The Pedra do Ingá is a gneiss rock formation about 24 metres long beside the Ingá River in Paraíba. Its surface is carved with hundreds of deep, carefully made symbols: spirals, lines, shapes like plants and animals, and others that resemble stars.
Over the years, writers have claimed the carvings were made by Phoenicians, a lost civilisation or visitors from space.
Explanations offered
Archaeologists think the carvings were made by Indigenous peoples of the region, possibly thousands of years ago, though dating rock carvings is difficult. Their meaning is unknown: suggestions include astronomical records and ritual marks. It is a protected national heritage site.
- When
- Age unknown
- Where
- Ingá, Paraíba, Brazil
- Witnesses
- Archaeologists and visitors
- Status
- Meaning unknown
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.