Imagine a symbol so profound, it appears in ancient rock art across three continents, separated by oceans and vast stretches of land. These aren’t mere coincidences, but striking visual echoes of a shared human experience. From the dusty canyons of Utah to the rugged mountains of Azerbaijan and the serene caves of Japan, ancient artists depicted what appears to be the same, powerful figure: a winged or flying human.
The existence of these nearly identical petroglyphs begs a profound question: did these ancient peoples somehow communicate across the globe, or did the same archetypal idea of a flying human emerge independently in each culture?
The Three Sites: A Tale of Three Timelines
The carvings themselves are compelling evidence, but their diverse ages add another layer of intrigue to the mystery.
1. Gobustan, Azerbaijan: The Oldest Echo
In the ancient, open-air gallery of Gobustan, Azerbaijan, lie thousands of petroglyphs carved into the rocky landscape. Here, among depictions of dancing figures and prehistoric animals, are carvings that could be up to 10,000 years old. These early works, from the Upper Paleolithic and Neolithic periods, offer a glimpse into the dawn of human artistic expression. The presence of winged figures here suggests the motif has deep roots in human history, perhaps linked to shamanistic rituals or early cosmological beliefs.
Gobustan / Azerbaijan
2. Nine Mile Canyon, Utah-USA: A Thousand-Year-Old Story
Known as “the world’s longest art gallery,” Nine Mile Canyon in Utah is home to thousands of petroglyphs and pictographs from the Fremont people, who lived in the area from roughly AD 300 to 1300. Among the rich array of their rock art, a specific motif stands out: the “winged anthropomorphic figure.” These carvings, some of which appear to have owl-like features, are a prominent part of the Fremont artistic tradition. Their presence suggests the concept of a powerful, winged being was central to their belief system, perhaps representing a deity, a spirit, or a mythical ancestor.
Nine Mile Canyon Petroglyphs – The Traveling Tacos – Dinosaurland, Utah Road Trip
3. Fugoppe Cave, Japan: A Later, Yet Similar Motif
On the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido, inside Fugoppe Cave, are petroglyphs from the Epi-Jomon culture, dating to around 1,500 years ago. These carvings are particularly fascinating for their stylistic similarities to the figures found in Utah and Azerbaijan. They depict human-like figures with wings or horns, alongside other symbols. While later in date, their visual resemblance to the other petroglyphs is uncanny, raising the possibility that the same core idea persisted over millennia, perhaps evolving and adapting as it was passed down through generations or cultures.
Fogoppe cave engravors on Hokkaido, one of two places with ancient Petroglyphs in Japan
The Core Debate: Parallel Evolution vs. Ancient Connection
This global phenomenon presents two main hypotheses for scientists and archaeologists:
- Independent Invention (Parallel Evolution): This theory posits that the human mind, across different times and places, independently arrived at the same idea. The desire to fly, to connect with the heavens, or to represent spiritual power through a winged figure is a universal human theme. Perhaps, a shaman’s vision or a shared dream archetype could lead to similar artistic expressions, even without any direct contact.
- Cultural Diffusion (Ancient Connection): This is the more tantalizing—and harder to prove—idea. It suggests that these cultures were somehow connected. While it’s highly unlikely that a single tribe from Azerbaijan traveled to Japan and Utah, a broader idea could have spread over vast distances. Think of it like a ripple effect. A core mythological framework or symbolic motif could have originated in one region and slowly spread through ancient trade routes, migrations, or shared folklore, evolving slightly with each new culture that adopted it.
While the vast distances and significant time gaps between the oldest and newest carvings make a direct link tenuous, the possibility of a common mythological framework is a captivating one. The study of these petroglyphs, along with others around the world, is an ongoing quest to understand the connections—or lack thereof—that shaped our ancestors’ beliefs and art.
Ultimately, these ancient carvings serve as a powerful reminder that our past is filled with mysteries waiting to be unraveled. They challenge us to think beyond modern borders and consider a time when the human story was written not on paper, but on stone, with symbols that transcended language and geography.
