ARTE RUPESTRE: A MANIFESTAÇÃO DA CAPACIDADE INTELECTUAL E SIMBÓLICA NO COGNITIVO DO DESENVOLVIMENTO HUMANO

Abstract

This study aims to highlight the influence of rock art created by Homo species from the Paleolithic era (51,000 years ago) to the Neolithic era (500 years ago), which significantly contributed to human cognitive evolution across the planet, with an emphasis on the rock art found in the Mato Grosso do Sul region. Paleolithic artistic expressions, marked by paintings and engravings in caves and shelters, primarily represented hunting scenes, fauna, and abstract symbols, evidencing a developing symbolic consciousness and the beginning of the human capacity for abstraction and narrative. In the Neolithic period, rock art reveals a transformation in lifestyle, with the emergence of agriculture, domestication, and the first villages, and expresses new dimensions of social organization, spirituality, and collective identity. Rock art, represented by drawings and paintings on rocks, reveals not only the technical and symbolic skill of early humans but also denotes their forms of social organization, spirituality, and perception of the world. The references examined indicate a progressive increase in the structural complexity of human cognition.This phenomenon manifests itself through the proliferation of symbolic systems, the articulation of visual narratives, and the encoding of spatiality fundamental components for the origin and consolidation of epistemic thought. Therefore, this research emphasizes the relevance of understanding the cultural and cognitive origins of humankind, particularly in regional contexts such as Mato Grosso do Sul, aiming to value and conserve the primitive artistic expressions and rock art heritage of the region. The study is structured in four chapters: the first addresses the historical and cultural context of rock art and its importance in understanding human evolution, exploring the cognitive and symbolic evolution reflected in rock art representations; the second describes the archaeological sites of Mato Grosso do Sul and the cultural and artistic importance of these manifestations; the third analyzes the challenges and community involvement in the protection of cultural heritage; and the fourth reflects on the impact of rock art on the formation of humanity's cultural identity. This study was developed through a broad bibliographic survey based on the Literature Review (LR) methodology, respecting rigorous criteria for data search, analysis, and synthesis, which allows for a well-founded reflection on the topic.

Keywords: Rock art; human thought; contemporary rationality.l