Ancient Hand Stencil in Indonesian Cave May Be World's Oldest Rock Art
Archaeologists have revealed that a faded hand outline on a cave wall in Indonesia could represent the world's oldest known rock art, with a minimum age of 67,800 years. This remarkable discovery was made in a limestone cave on Muna Island, part of south-eastern Sulawesi, where the ancient stencil had previously gone unnoticed among more recent paintings of animals and other figures.
Discovery and Dating of the Cave Art
The hand stencil was identified at Liang Metanduno, a cave popular with tourists on Sulawesi's south-eastern peninsula. Though partially obscured by later motifs, researchers from Griffith University in Queensland, Australia, determined its age by dating tiny calcite deposits that had formed over the artwork. Professor Maxime Aubert, an archaeologist at Griffith University, emphasised the significance of such dating, stating, "When you can date it, it opens up a completely different world. It's an intimate window into the past, and an intimate window into these people's minds."
Fieldwork led by Aubert and Professor Adam Brumm has uncovered a rich history of cave paintings in Sulawesi, primarily on the island's south-western peninsula. In one cave, a narrative scene featuring three human-like figures and a wild pig was dated to at least 51,200 years ago. Humans have been painting in these caves for millennia, with fresh images adorning the walls for at least 35,000 years.
Implications for Human Migration to Australia
Beyond establishing a minimum age for the cave art, this finding advances understanding of how and when Australia was first settled. The stencil is most likely the work of the ancestors of Indigenous Australians, suggesting some humans travelled via a northern route that crossed Sulawesi. During this period, lower sea levels created land bridges between some islands, but humans would still have needed to island-hop across the region.
Brumm believes the rock art supports evidence that northern Australia was settled at least 65,000 years ago, though researchers continue to debate the exact timeline of human arrival in Sahul, the ancient landmass connecting Australia, New Guinea, and Tasmania.
Characteristics and Symbolism of the Hand Stencil
The hand stencils were created by spraying mouthfuls of ochre mixed with water over a hand pressed against the cave wall. Notably, the Liang Metanduno stencil features narrow, pointy fingers, which researchers interpret as an intentional modification. Brumm commented, "Whether they resemble animal claws or more fancifully some human-animal creature that doesn't exist, we don't know, but there's some sort of symbolic meaning behind them."
In a paper published in Nature, the authors argue that these tweaks make the rock art "complex" and likely the work of Homo sapiens. However, they acknowledge that other extinct human species, such as Neanderthals or Denisovans, cannot be entirely ruled out. Neanderthals in Spanish caves have been credited with ochre wall markings, including hand stencils, dating back at least 64,000 years.
Academic Debate and Alternative Perspectives
Professor Paul Pettitt of Durham University, who worked on the Spanish cave markings, offered a cautious perspective. He questioned whether the pointy fingers were deliberate or simply resulted from the creator moving their hand. Pettitt remarked, "To call this complex is rather over-interpreting the hand stencil." He further noted, "Before writing grand narratives about the complexity and success of Homo sapiens, we really should consider other, potentially more interesting explanations of this fascinating phenomenon."
This discovery not only pushes back the timeline for human artistic expression but also enriches the ongoing dialogue about early human migration patterns and cognitive abilities in prehistoric times.
