Archaeology - Oldest figurative cave painting found on Sulawesi
In a cave on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, archaeologists have dated a rock painting to at least 51,200 years old. According to a study, this is the oldest known figurative artwork in the world. The painting reportedly depicts three human-like figures interacting with a wild boar. The painting is located in the Karst area of Maros Pangkep, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
"The results suggest that both the depiction of human-like figures and animals, as well as the use of composed scenes in art, have an older origin in human history than previously assumed," the statement read. Another rock painting with a hunting scene was also newly dated and is reportedly at least 48,000 years old - 4,000 years older than previously thought. The study was published in the scientific journal "Nature".
New Uranium-Thorium Dating Method
Prehistoric rock art provides important information about early human cultures, but it is not easy to determine the exact and reliable age of these depictions. A team led by archaeologists Adhi Agus Oktaviana and Maxime Aubert from Griffith University in Australia have now managed to do this using an alternative form of Uranium-Thorium dating, a specific form of radiometric dating. For this, the scientists worked with a special laser technology.
A mass spectrometer is coupled to a laser. Calcium carbonate samples, which have formed on the painting over the years, can be removed and analyzed in great detail with this method - which allows for very precise age calculations.
Ten Thousands of Years Earlier in Europe
Widely assumed until now was that figurative art had much younger origins. This is called into question by the study: The results implied that there was already a rich culture of visual storytelling in Sulawesi during an early phase of Homo sapiens history, specifically with regard to the relationship between humans and animals, the researchers write. In Europe, such depictions did not develop until ten thousand years later.
Sulawesi is located east of Borneo and is popular with tourists from all over the world due to its volcanoes, coral reefs, and diving sites. The karst region of Maros Pangkep is located in the Bantimurung-Bulusaraung National Park about 50 kilometers north of the capital Makassar. The spectacular rock paintings in the caves have been known since the 1950s.
- The groundbreaking discovery of the 51,200-year-old cave painting in Sulawesi, Indonesia, has challenge previous assumptions about the origin of figurative art, as it predates the known European depictions by thousands of years.
- The team of archaeologists led by Adhi Agus Oktaviana and Maxime Aubert from Griffith University in Brisbane, Australia, utilized a new Uranium-Thorium dating method and laser technology to determine the age of the Sulawesi cave painting and another nearby painting.
- The results of this study, published in the scientific journal "Nature," indicate that both the human-like figures and animals depicted in the world's oldest known figurative artwork have a longer history in human culture than previously believed.
- The UNESCO World Heritage site in Maros Pangkpe, Sulawesi, Indonesia, is now recognized for hosting some of the oldest and most significant cave paintings in the world, shedding new light on the evolution of early human cultures and storytelling.
