A cave painting in the Indonesian island of Sulawesi is possibly the oldest depiction of the animal world.
Made with a red mineral pigment, researchers estimate the painting to be atleast 45,500 years old.
It shows images of the Sulawesi warty pig, a small short-legged wild boar, native to Sulawesi.
The discovery highlights the importance of understanding where and when the first cave art traditions arose. It can give us clues as to what was important to early society, and how we saw and depicted the world around us.
Sulawesi is the largest of oceanic islands in Wallacea, a group of islands bridging Indonesia on one side and Australia and New Guinea on the other. Modern humans are said to have crossed Wallacea by watercraft at least 65,000 years ago to reach Australia. The islands remains poorly explored. Further research could possibly uncover even older rock art in the region.
Original article:
We found the oldest known cave painting of animals in a secret Indonesian valley
Original study: