The Brazilian Northeast is known for its wealth of archaeological sites, and new sites have been found in the state of Roraima. While local archaeologists face a lack of financial resources, they have found some interesting artifacts.

Photo: Ari Silva/Globo

The latest discovery dates back 4,000 years, and now forms part of 80 sites in Roraima, which are among the least known in the country.  About 1,200 years ago, the area was populated by the Rupununi tribe, which occupied the area near the border with Guyana. According to archaeological evidence, this tribe still lived in the region when the Europeans first arrived, and traded with them (some artifacts found are of European origin). Some of the evidence includes funeral urns, along with personal objects buried with them, as well as cave drawings.

While tribes in the savana region of the state are thought to be related to Caribbean tribes, the tribes in the south of the state are thought to be related to tribes from the Rio Negro region, though this theory is yet to be confirmed.