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Source: InCites
Abstract
Archaeology Cultural evolution
Previous dating research indicated that the Indonesian island of Sulawesi is host to some of the oldest known rock art1,2,3. That work was based on solution uranium-series (U-series) analysis of calcite deposits overlying rock art in the limestone caves of Maros-Pangkep, South Sulawesi1,2,3. Here we use a novel application of this approach—laser-ablation U-series imaging—to re-date some of the earliest cave art in this karst area and to determine the age of stylistically similar motifs at other Maros-Pangkep sites. This method provides enhanced spatial accuracy, resulting in older minimum ages for previously dated art. We show that a hunting scene from Leang Bulu’ Sipong 4, which was originally dated using the previous approach to a minimum of 43,900 thousand years ago (ka)3, has a minimum age of 50.2 ± 2.2 ka, and so is at least 4,040 years older than thought. Using the imaging approach, we also assign a minimum age of 53.5 ± 2.3 ka to a newly described cave art scene at Leang Karampuang. Painted at least 51,200 years ago, this narrative composition, which depicts human-like figures interacting with a pig, is now the earliest known surviving example of representational art, and visual storytelling, in the world3. Our findings show that figurative portrayals of anthropomorphic figures and animals have a deeper origin in the history of modern human (Homo sapiens) image-making than recognized to date, as does their representation in composed scenes.
Details
Title
Narrative cave art in Indonesia by 51,200 years ago
Creators
Adhi Agus Oktaviana
Renaud Joannes-Boyau
Budianto Hakim
Basran Burhan
Ratno Sardi
Shinatria Adhityatama
Hamrullah
Iwan Sumantri
M. Tang
Rustan Lebe
Imran Ilyas
Abdullah Abbas
Andi Jusdi
Dewangga Eka Mahardian
Sofwan Noerwidi
Marlon N. R. Ririmasse
Irfan Mahmud
Akin Duli
Laode M. Aksa
David McGahan
Pindi Setiawan
Adam Brumm
Maxime Aubert
Publication Details
Nature (London), Vol.631(8022), pp.814-818
Publisher
Nature Publishing Group
Number of pages
17
Grant note
LE200100022 / Australian Research Council
Southern Cross University
NGS-72460R-20 / National Geographic Society
Google Arts Culture
DP220100462 / ARC Discovery Project; Australian Research Council
Griffith University; Griffith University - Gold Coast Campus
FT170100025; FT160100119; LE200100022 / Australian Research Council (ARC); Australian Research Council
Identifiers
991013206811802368
Copyright
Open Access: This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Academic Unit
Faculty of Science and Engineering; Science
Language
English
Resource Type
Journal article
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Details
Narrative cave art in Indonesia by 51,200 years ago