Sulawesi Cave Art: Oldest Hand Painting Discovered

Why this matters: This discovery provides valuable insights into the cognitive and cultural capabilities of early humans and their migration routes. It suggests that artistic expression was a significant part of their lives much earlier than previously thought.

The dating of the Sulawesi cave art was conducted using laser-ablation U-series (LA-U-series) dating of calcite overlying the hand stencil. This method provides a minimum-age constraint for the underlying motif. The hand stencil is located inside the Liang Metanduno limestone cave on Muna, an island off of Sulawesi.

The pointed shape of the finer tips suggests that the work was the outline of a human hand. Researchers believe that the original artist would have poured pigment onto a hand before pressing it against the rock.

This finding challenges the previously held belief that cave art of this age was solely a European phenomenon, as the oldest cave art was found in Spain. It reinforces the idea that early humans in Southeast Asia were capable of complex symbolic thought and artistic expression. The Sulawesi discovery supports the view that the initial peopling of the Sahul landmass involved maritime journeys through northern Wallacea.

The hand stencil is at least 67,800 years old.

The art was found in Liang Metanduno cave on Muna Island, Sulawesi, Indonesia.

It is the oldest known cave art and provides insights into early human artistic expression and migration patterns.

Laser-ablation U-series dating of calcite overlying the hand stencil was used to determine its age.

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