World's Oldest Rock Art Discovered in Sulawesi Cave, Dated to 67,800 Years
In a groundbreaking archaeological find, a hand stencil in a limestone cave on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi has been definitively dated to at least 67,800 years ago, establishing it as the oldest known example of rock art currently identified anywhere in the world. This remarkable discovery comes from meticulous uranium series analysis of mineral layers that formed directly over the painted surface, providing a firm minimum age for the artwork and dramatically pushing back the timeline for symbolic expression in this region.
Scientific Dating Confirms Deep Pleistocene Origins
The study, titled "Rock art from at least 67,800 years ago in Sulawesi," reports that researchers discovered the stencil in the Liang Metanduno cave on Muna Island, located off the coast of Sulawesi. Scientists employed advanced laser ablation uranium series methods to date calcite deposits that had formed naturally on top of the pigment. They calculated an age of 71.6 thousand years for the mineral layer, thereby establishing a robust minimum age of 67,800 years for the painting beneath it.
This figure significantly exceeds earlier minimum dates from the well-known Maros Pangkep karsts in southwest Sulawesi by more than 16,000 years. It also edges past the previous oldest widely cited cave art date from Spain, which had been attributed to Neanderthals. Uranium series dating measures radioactive decay within calcium carbonate deposits. In these caves, thin mineral crusts formed over painted surfaces over millennia. By analyzing these crusts, scientists can determine when the overlying layer developed, providing the earliest possible age for the artwork underneath.
Extensive Fieldwork Reveals Rich Artistic History
During recent fieldwork, researchers documented an impressive 44 rock art sites across southeastern Sulawesi, an area that has historically received far less archaeological attention than other regions. From these sites, eleven motifs from eight locations were successfully dated, including:
- Seven hand stencils
- Several figurative paintings
- Various geometric designs
The results clearly demonstrate that artistic activity in southeastern Sulawesi began far earlier than previously confirmed. Evidence suggests that painting in the Liang Metanduno cave appears to have continued for tens of thousands of years, with later images being added until approximately 20 thousand years ago.
Implications for Human Migration and Symbolic Expression
This discovery carries profound implications beyond mere art history. During the Pleistocene epoch, lower sea levels connected Australia, New Guinea, and Tasmania into a single landmass known as Sahul. Archaeologists have long debated when humans first reached this region, with some models suggesting arrival around 50 thousand years ago and others arguing for at least 65 thousand years.
The Sulawesi hand stencil strongly supports the longer timeline, indicating that people with established symbolic traditions were present in Wallacea—the biogeographical region between Borneo and Papua—before or during the initial peopling of Sahul. Southeast Sulawesi sits along likely maritime routes used by early migrants, and these new dates significantly strengthen the case for sophisticated seafaring journeys across this chain of islands during ancient times.
Unique Claw-Like Motif Suggests Early Symbolic Variation
The stencil itself presents an unusual and intriguing characteristic. After the negative outline of the hand was created, the finger shapes were deliberately narrowed and modified, producing a distinct claw-like appearance. This specific modification has not been widely recorded in other early rock art sites around the world.
Researchers suggest this artistic choice may reflect early symbolic ideas linking humans and animals, themes that appear in other early Sulawesi imagery as well. While the exact meaning remains uncertain and open to interpretation, the cave walls in southeastern Sulawesi now offer a quiet yet powerful record of artistic activity stretching deep into human prehistory, extending much further back than previously confirmed by scientific evidence.
This finding adds to growing evidence that early human communities in Wallacea were producing complex imagery much earlier than once thought, challenging previous assumptions about the development of symbolic expression and cognitive abilities in our ancient ancestors.
