Scientists from the University of Griffith (Australia) established the age of the oldest piece of figurative art. It turned out to be a cave painting discovered in 2017 in a cave on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. The discovery is reported in the journal Nature.

In 2017, scientists explored Sulawesi caves. In one of them, they found traces of prehistoric creativity - a monumental “panel” 4.5 meters wide. The work of unknown artists contained a hunting scene traditional for rock paintings.

  • Ancient images in the cave of Sulawesi island
  • © Ratno Sardi / Griffith University

Ancient hunters were depicted very unusual: with the heads of birds and reptiles, as well as with tails.

“As far as we know, this image of hunting is currently the earliest example of storytelling in the form of a drawing and the oldest example of figurative art in the world,” the researchers noted.

Radiocarbon analysis showed that the drawing was created at least 43.9 thousand years ago, which is older than all figurative art objects known to scientists. According to scientists, before that, the oldest carved figure of a man with a cat’s head, which is about 39-40 thousand years old, was found in Germany.

According to scientists, it was previously assumed that cave painting originated on the territory of the European continent, however, the Indonesian find changes this idea.

  • Image analysis established the age of the drawings - about 44 thousand years.
  • © Ratno Sardi / Griffith University

According to the researchers, their discovery confirms that more than 40 thousand years ago, people had a developed artistic culture based on folklore, religion and faith in spirits.

“The image can be considered as the oldest narration in Paleolithic art. And this is remarkable, since the ability to compose fictional stories could be the last and most important step in the development of the language and the formation of cognitive mechanisms comparable to modern ones, ”the researchers say.

Scientists also note that the established record of antiquity can be broken, since at least 242 caves and sites of primitive people covered with cave paintings are known on the same island. Their research is ongoing.