Petroglyphs near Fruita in Capitol Reef National Park, Utah, United States

Age-old storyboard. Petroglyphs near Fruita in Capitol Reef National Park, Utah, United States

There's something timeless about Capitol Reef National Park in Utah, United States—a place where red rock cliffs, winding canyons and ancient stories come together under the desert sky. Long before visitors laced up hiking boots and hit the trails at Capitol Reef, the Fremont and Ancestral Puebloan peoples called this place home. Their connection to the land was both spiritual and practical—and they left behind some of the park's most captivating features, including petroglyphs like those found in Fruita, featured in today's image. These rock panels showcase an ancient visual language, featuring human figures adorned with headdresses and jewelry. Alongside them are animals like bighorn sheep and lizards, as well as abstract shapes alluding to ceremonies, migrations and celestial events.

Interestingly, echoes of this ancient artistic expression can also be found halfway across the world—in the Bhimbetka rock shelters of Madhya Pradesh. These caves are home to an extraordinary collection of prehistoric art, with paintings dating as far back as 10,000 BCE, and in some cases, possibly 40,000 years. Painted using vegetable-based colours, many artworks have survived thanks to their placement on sheltered cave walls.