This is the world’s oldest known cave painting with a date that can be believed. It was found on the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia. On the roof of Leang Karampuang cave, this work of art was found. It was made over 51,200 years ago. It looks like a scene from a story is going on between what look like people and a wild pig. With this new knowledge, we now know when the first art stories were told.
Methods for Dating
A laser was used to date calcium carbonate crystals that grew on top of the painting. This was done to find out how old the painting is. Maxime Aubert, a professor at Griffith University, says this is a brand-new way to date rock art that could change how people do it all over the world.
Information about the art
The piece of art is mostly a pig, with three smaller forms that look like people. All of them are a dark red color. In this work, the figures are placed in a way that makes them look like they are talking to each other. This is an early form of storytelling. The careful placement of the artwork’s parts is thought to tell a clear story, but the exact story is still unknown.
How Important the Find Is
This picture from Leang Karampuang is older than the oldest cave drawings in Europe. It also makes people question the idea that cave art only began in Europe. Adam Brumm, who is also a lead researcher, says that this finding changes the way we think about how smart our ancestors were and how early art got around the world.
What this means for human history
It turns out that people have been able to make art and tell stories for a lot longer than was thought before. The first Homo humans may have made it. They came to Australia from Southeast Asia about 65,000 years ago. The data show that early humans were able to think very deeply and creatively. For example, they knew how to use symbols and tell stories. People and art have changed over time, and this important find in Indonesia helps us understand these changes in new ways. These paintings were made by people who are still unknown to us. Archaeologists will also look for other works of art that could change the way we think about old societies.
