World's oldest known cave painting found in Indonesia

[FfFfFfFF 41,576]

Archaeologists have discovered the world’s oldest known cave painting: a life-sized picture of a wild pig that was made at least 45,500 years ago in Indonesia.

The finding, described in the journal Science Advances on Wednesday, provides the earliest evidence of human settlement of the region.

Measuring 136cm by 54cm (53in by 21in), the Sulawesi warty pig was painted using dark red ochre pigment and has a short crest of upright hair, as well as a pair of horn-like facial warts characteristic of adult males of the species.

There are two hand prints above the pig’s hindquarters, and it appears to be facing two other pigs that are only partially preserved, as part of a narrative scene.

Aubert, a dating specialist, identified a calcite deposit that had formed on top of the painting, then used uranium-series isotope dating to confidently say the deposit was 45,500 years old.

Cave paintings such as these also help fill in gaps about our understanding of early human migrations.

 

https://www.livescience.com/pig-oldest-cave-animal-drawing.html

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/jan/13/worlds-oldest-known-cave-painting-found-in-indonesia

[Mindblown 3,446]

Edited January 13 by Mindblown

[RodeckDanny 1,095]

interpretation: STOP EATING PIGS 

[sarahb 11,943]

Neat these pigs actually still exist


 

1 hour ago, RodeckDanny said:

interpretation: STOP EATING PIGS 

Well Sulawesi warty pigs are threatened by hunting and deforestation so yes don't eat these pigs 

[Pickle Boy 1,716]

I always end up thinking this whenever I see really old cave paintings but like can you actually imagine living back then?

We have so much knowledge of our existence and it still doesn't make sense to us but like can you just imagine how confusing everything must have been for them? 

Also isn't it kinda intense that as kids we still do those hand stencils today? 

Edited January 13 by Pickle Boy