"In an Indonesian cave system known for its prehistoric art, the oldest cave art yet found was hiding in plain sight. In a cave full of paintings that were well studied over the years, a faint hand stencil on the ceiling had been overlooked. A new chemical analysis of the stencil reveals that it dates back at least 67,800 years, an astonishing 15,000 years older than the next-oldest cave art found on the same island, Sulawesi."
"The researchers used lasersinstead of the typical drillingto take samples to date the art. This let them test more areas and therefore get a more accurate date range than they would have able to obtain with older methods. The age of this previously undiscovered artwork is really astonishing, says Franco Viviani, a physical anthropologist who was not involved in the new study."
A faint hand stencil on a cave ceiling in Sulawesi was identified and chemically dated to at least 67,800 years, making it the oldest known cave art on the island by about 15,000 years. A nearby hand stencil dated to about 60,900 years. Laser sampling replaced drilling to take pigment samples, allowing testing of more areas and yielding a more accurate date range. The findings push back timelines for symbolic behavior in the region and may inform understanding of the first humans reaching Australia. Comparable ancient symbolic artifacts include shell jewelry at least 70,000 years old and 57,000-year-old Neandertal engraved bones.
Read at www.scientificamerican.com
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