AssetID: 55406212
Headline: UNCAPTIONED: Oldest cave art discovered in Indonesia
Caption: Oldest cave art discovered in Indonesia. A hand stencil found on the wall of a cave in Indonesia has been identified as the oldest known example of rock art in the world, dating back at least 67,800 years. The discovery, made on the province of Sulawesi, pushes back the known origins of human artistic expression by at least 15,000 years, surpassing the researchers’ own previous find in the same region. The cave art was discovered and dated by an international research team co-led by Griffith University, Indonesia’s National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) and Southern Cross University. The fragmentary hand stencil was found in limestone caves on the satellite island of Muna, in south-eastern Sulawesi. It was surrounded by paintings of a much more recent origin. The hand stencil was dated to a minimum age of 67,800 years, making it the oldest reliably dated cave art yet discovered and significantly older than a Sulawesi rock painting dated by the same researchers in 2024. The Muna cave has been used repeatedly for artistic activity over an exceptionally long period. Paintings were produced for at least 35,000 years, continuing until about 20,000 years ago. For decades, archaeologists have debated when humans first arrived in Sahul - the Pleistocene-era landmass that once connected present-day Australia, Tasmania and New Guinea. Some scholars have supported a “short chronology” model, suggesting humans arrived about 50,000 years ago, while others argue for a “long chronology”, placing the first arrival at least 65,000 years ago. This discovery strongly supports the idea that the ancestors of the First Australians were in Sahul by 65,000 years ago.
Keywords: Offbeat,cave,discover,Indonesia,hand stencil,wall,rock art,Sulawesi,human,art,artistic expression,researchers,Griffith University,National Research and Innovation Agency,BRIN,Southern Cross University,paintings,cave art,Muna,archaeologists,Pleistocene-era,archaeology
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