The Oldest Narrative Rock Art in Indonesia and The World

UNGKIT.COM - The oldest narrative rock art in Indonesia and the world was discovered in Leang Karampuang, located in the Maros-Pangkep karst region, South Sulawesi.

A collaborative study by Griffith University, the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), and Southern Cross University indicates that the painting is 51,200 years old.

The painting depicts a wild boar (Sus celebensis) and three human-like figures in an interactive scene. This finding, published in the journal Nature, confirms Sulawesi as the center of the world's oldest rock art.

The researchers' analysis indicates that the oldest is the second human figure, dated approximately 51,200 years ago, in front of a depiction of meat. The human figure appears to be holding a material culture, such as a rope or long stick, toward the image of the pig.

Interestingly, there is an overlay beneath the image of the pig. The rock art depicts a handprint drawn before the image of the pig, which is estimated to be even older than 51,000 years.

Researchers used the U-series laser ablation method to determine the age of the paintings by analyzing the calcium carbonate layer on top. This technique confirmed that the Sulawesi rock art is older than paintings from the Ice Age in Europe.

Previously, a wild boar painting at Leang Tedongnge was found to be 45,500 years old. This discovery broadens our understanding of ancient human artistic expression and early civilization in the Leang-leang Prehistoric Park area. (*)

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