NEWS - The island of Sulawesi has long been known to hold a treasure trove of the world's oldest paintings. Now scientists led by Maxime Aubert, archaeologist and geochemist, of Griffith University in Australia and his team have traced the history back several thousand years and identified narrative representations in time for the first time.
The depiction of human figures and wild boars in the Liang Karambuang Cave in the Maros Pangkep karst region of Sulawesi is at least 51,200 years old. The oldest painting to date is a depiction of a pig from Liang Tiedongang, which is about 45,500 years old. The team reports to Nature that the new paintings show that modern humans were depicting narrative scenes much earlier than previously thought.
Determining when someone painted or carved an image on a rock poses several problems for archaeologists. The rock itself could be several million years old. That's why the researchers focused on what's on top of the painting: a layer of calcium carbonate that has settled over the image over time.
The scientists dated the limestone deposits using the uranium-thorium method. They determined the quantitative ratio of radioactive uranium isotopes and their decay products in calcium carbonate. The estimated age of the chalk layer can be obtained from this ratio, which also gives the minimum age of the panel.
Scientists have now developed a more precise version of this method, where they do not scrape off the chalk and dissolve it in nitric acid but take samples using a laser beam. As before, the material is then transferred to a mass spectrometer which can be used to analyse the chemical composition of the sample.
Using the laser method, the sampling locations can be distinguished more accurately, especially the chalk layers that are very close to the panel. The researchers are now getting closer to the actual age of the image.
Aubert and his team used this approach to re-take photographs at Liang Bulu Sepong 4 Cave in the Maros Pangkep karst area which was previously thought to be the oldest narrative scene. A human-like figure, possibly a hybrid creature, is depicted in earthy red chasing the wild with a spear and rope.
The results of the 2019 dating suggest the image is at least 43,900 years old. With the new method, the minimum age is around 48,000 years. Aubert and his team studied the image of three human figures and a pig in Liang Karambuang Cave and the painting was probably made at least 51,200 years ago. The study authors interpreted the image as a narrative scene whose exact content is unknown. This suggests that people have been carrying out visual and verbal activities around campfires for a very long time.
Read more:
Oktaviana, A.A., Joannes-Boyau, R., Hakim, B. et al. Narrative cave art in Indonesia by 51,200 years ago. Nature 631, 814–818 (2024). DOI:10.1038/s41586-024-07541-7
By Aryo Bandoro
Founder of Dlium.com. You can follow him on X: @Abandoro.
The depiction of human figures and wild boars in the Liang Karambuang Cave in the Maros Pangkep karst region of Sulawesi is at least 51,200 years old. The oldest painting to date is a depiction of a pig from Liang Tiedongang, which is about 45,500 years old. The team reports to Nature that the new paintings show that modern humans were depicting narrative scenes much earlier than previously thought.
Determining when someone painted or carved an image on a rock poses several problems for archaeologists. The rock itself could be several million years old. That's why the researchers focused on what's on top of the painting: a layer of calcium carbonate that has settled over the image over time.
The scientists dated the limestone deposits using the uranium-thorium method. They determined the quantitative ratio of radioactive uranium isotopes and their decay products in calcium carbonate. The estimated age of the chalk layer can be obtained from this ratio, which also gives the minimum age of the panel.
Scientists have now developed a more precise version of this method, where they do not scrape off the chalk and dissolve it in nitric acid but take samples using a laser beam. As before, the material is then transferred to a mass spectrometer which can be used to analyse the chemical composition of the sample.
Using the laser method, the sampling locations can be distinguished more accurately, especially the chalk layers that are very close to the panel. The researchers are now getting closer to the actual age of the image.
Aubert and his team used this approach to re-take photographs at Liang Bulu Sepong 4 Cave in the Maros Pangkep karst area which was previously thought to be the oldest narrative scene. A human-like figure, possibly a hybrid creature, is depicted in earthy red chasing the wild with a spear and rope.
The results of the 2019 dating suggest the image is at least 43,900 years old. With the new method, the minimum age is around 48,000 years. Aubert and his team studied the image of three human figures and a pig in Liang Karambuang Cave and the painting was probably made at least 51,200 years ago. The study authors interpreted the image as a narrative scene whose exact content is unknown. This suggests that people have been carrying out visual and verbal activities around campfires for a very long time.
Read more:
Oktaviana, A.A., Joannes-Boyau, R., Hakim, B. et al. Narrative cave art in Indonesia by 51,200 years ago. Nature 631, 814–818 (2024). DOI:10.1038/s41586-024-07541-7
By Aryo Bandoro
Founder of Dlium.com. You can follow him on X: @Abandoro.