World’s Oldest Known Rock Art Discovered in Indonesian Cave

World’s Oldest Known Rock Art Discovered in Indonesian Cave
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Archaeologists have identified what is believed to be the world’s oldest known example of rock art inside a cave on Indonesia’s Sulawesi island, according to a study reported by Reuters.

The discovery consists of a human hand stencil found in the Liang Metanduno cave on Muna Island, part of the Sulawesi region. Scientific analysis has dated the artwork to at least 67,800 years ago, making it older than previously known cave art in Europe and other parts of the world.

Researchers explained that the stencil was created by placing a hand against the cave wall and blowing mineral pigment around it, a technique commonly associated with prehistoric symbolic expression. The age was determined using uranium-series dating on mineral deposits that formed over the pigment, providing a minimum age for the artwork.

The finding adds to growing evidence that early humans in Southeast Asia were producing symbolic art much earlier than once believed. However, scientists said it remains unclear which specific group of early humans created the artwork, as multiple hominin species may have lived in the region at the time.

Further research is ongoing to better understand the cultural and historical significance of the site and its creators.