Some People Think This Old Painting Proves Dinosaurs Walked Around With Humans

Every now and then people on the Internet, bless them, believe they have found evidence for time travel in an old painting. It happens surprisingly often, and always with a simple explanation that doesn’t necessitate time travel being real, and time travelers themselves being absolute posers who insist on sitting for portraits in their old-timey holiday destination.

In a new and fun twist to the genre, people appear to believe dinosaurs lived alongside humans 500 years ago (yes, like in The Flintstones) because of a painting by “Peter·Bruce Gale” in 1562. In one typical post, Instagram user historyunreal wrote: “[It’s] a painting by Peter·Bruce Gale in 1562… 300 years before we supposedly knew anything about dinosaurs.”

[embedded content]

ⓘ IFLScience is not responsible for content shared from external sites.

So, despite no other evidence showing up, such as people writing down “isn’t it weird how we ride around on Brachiosaurus like a big lizardy horse?”, is this evidence that The Flintsones was in fact a documentary? No.

First off, “Peter·Bruce Gale” is not only not the artist of the painting, there’s no reference to him outside of this specific conspiracy theory. The artist of this painting – The Suicide of Saul – is Flemish Renaissance artist Pieter Bruegel the Elder. It depicts events described in the Bible – the suicide of King Saul following his defeat by the Philistines on Mount Gilboa.

The Suicide of Saul by Pieter Brueghel the Elder
If dinosaurs were really there, he probably would have made it the focus.
Image credit: Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien (Public Domain)

It is indeed painted in 1562, and shows some weird little dudes riding around in the background. But they aren’t dinosaurs. As pointed out by many posts, it is more likely a case of “Pieter has never seen a camel” than time traveling dinosaurs, or a cover-up of humans having lived alongside them all along. Camels are indeed mentioned in reference to King Saul in the Bible, and it is probable he attempted to include them in the background.

Just like lions in European medieval paintings being famously bad, drawings of camels have suffered from the same lack of a sitting model (as well as stylistic choices by artists who had seen the creatures).

ⓘ IFLScience is not responsible for content shared from external sites.

ⓘ IFLScience is not responsible for content shared from external sites.

ⓘ IFLScience is not responsible for content shared from external sites.

Camels were drawn in a variety of ways by those who hadn’t seen them. These, like coatis in reverse, just happen to look like Brachiosaurus.

Related Posts

Apareció una linda foto de Lionel Messi y su esposa Antonella Roccuzzo llevando a su hijo mayor Thiago a su primer día de clases.

Página 163 Sports publicó una foto de Lionel Messi y su sombra rosa Antonella Roccuzzo llevando a su hijo mayor, Thiago, a la escuela ayer, 20 de septiembre. Lionel Messi dedica su tiempo libre a llevar a su primer hijo, Thiago, al colegio. Parecía bastante …

Read more

Messi: 9 años sabe amar y una hermosa historia de amor que hace llorar

Lionel Messi no sólo es una estrella que hace milagros en el campo, sino que también es el personaje principal de una hermosa historia de amor de cuento de hadas. La otra mitad de la historia de amor de Messi es Antonella Roccuzzo. Él y Antonella viven …

Read more

Elon Musk dice que los coches Tesla del año que viene podrán conducirse solos el 90% del tiempo

Elon Musk, CEO de Tesla Motors, dijo que para el próximo año los autos Tesla deberían poder conducirse solos o con piloto automático el 90% del tiempo, y ciertamente la conducción en autopistas [contenido incrustado] Muchos otros fabricantes de automóviles y proveedores de motores han pronosticado 2020 como un año razonable …

Read more

Archaeologists in Iceland have discovered mermaid bones, putting an end to a century-old mystery.

Icelandic archaeologists have announced a surprising discovery: they have found bones they believe to be those of a mermaid, putting an end to a century-old mystery that has long captivated scientists and history buffs. …

Read more

BREAKING NEWS: 100-year-old mystery solved: Ghost ship emerged from Antarctic ice.

In a startling revelation that has left the scientific community and fans of the unexplained breathless, the mystery of a ghost ship lost over 100 years ago has finally been solved. The ship, known as the “Shadow of the North …

Read more

Reconciliation After the War: Scarlett Johansson and Disney Close Blockbuster Lawsuit

Scarlett Johansson and Disney have settled a breach of contract lawsuit over the star’s Black Widow payday, The Hollywood Reporter has learned. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. “I am happy to have resolved our differences with Disney,” stated Johansson. …

Read more

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *