It depicts human-animal hybrids hunting a wild pig. It is one of the recently discovered cave paintings in Indonesia. It turned out to be the oldest in the world, a group of scientists revealed. According to the researchers, the find proves that ancient people had a tradition of telling stories to each other. The new oldest cave painting is a clear example of this.
These are cave paintings estimated to be more than 51,000 years old. They were discovered in the Leang Karampuang cave on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi by researchers from Griffith University, Southern Cross University and the Indonesian National Agency for Research and Innovation.
Animals
The samples were collected in 2017, but dated only to early 2024. This rock art is about 6,000 years older than the previous record holder, found just 10 kilometres away. It is also in the Leang Karampuang Cave.
According to experts, the oldest new cave painting depicts three therianthropes (half-animal, half-human hybrids) and a wild pig. Such depictions are common in this region. And it underlines the importance of this animal for the people of that time.
How were the calcium carbonate layers that had formed on the art dated? The researchers used uranium dating series. This involved extracting limestone samples from the layers. The age was then calculated by measuring the ratio of thorium to uranium. This method allowed the researchers to date the layers more precisely. It ensured that the youngest and oldest materials did not mix.
Interaction
The team says it is difficult to interpret what is happening in the paintings. It is not clear which animals inspired the human-animal hybrids, as they were drawn as stick figures. The find also contradicts scientists’ view that early cave art consisted of individual characters rather than scenes in which they interacted with each other. The results of the research are published in the journal Nature.
