The silhouette of a hand was identified in the Liang Metanduno cave, on the island of Sulawesi and would be at least 67,800 years ago
The oldest rock art in the world was found in Indonesia. The silhouette of a hand was identified in the Liang Metanduno cave, on the island of Sulawesi, Indonesia, and dates back to at least 67,800 years ago.
The oldest record was of another painting that was also found on the same island, by the same group, in 2024. The site has several paintings dating from 35 to 20 thousand years ago. The number suggests that the painting is the oldest in the world. The discovery was published in the scientific journal Nature this Wednesday (21). The dating was done using mineral deposits on the rock, analyzing the layers of material that were formed over time.
The discovery corroborates the hypothesis that the first humans arrived in Australia around 65,000 years ago. The study highlights the relevance of the migration route from the north, passing through the islands towards New Guinea. The study is led by scientists from Australia’s Griffith University, in partnership with an Indonesian national research agency (BRIN) and Southern Cross University.
