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World's Oldest Art: Indonesian Cave Stencil Rewrites History
21 Jan
Summary
- Oldest known rock art is a 67,800-year-old hand stencil in Indonesia.
- Artwork suggests early human migration to Australia.
- Image style is unique to Sulawesi, possibly transformed into a claw.
A reddish-colored hand stencil discovered in the Liang Metanduno cave on Indonesia's Muna island has been identified as the world's oldest known example of rock art, dating back at least 67,800 years. This ancient artwork, created by early humans migrating from mainland Asia, showcases advanced creativity and may offer insights into the initial settlement of Australia.
The style of the hand stencil is distinctive, with deliberately reshaped finger tips appearing pointed, leading researchers to believe it might have been transformed into an animal claw. This unique artistic expression, predating cave art found in Spain and other Indonesian sites, suggests a deeper cultural or symbolic meaning, potentially related to the ancient peoples' connection with the animal kingdom.
Further analysis of mineral layers atop the pigment confirmed the stencil's age, placing it significantly earlier than previously thought. This discovery supports the 'long chronology' theory of human migration, indicating that ancestors of Indigenous Australians were traversing Southeast Asia and engaging in symbolic art creation around 60,000 to 65,000 years ago.
