Hand shape in Indonesian cave may be world's oldest known rock art
The faded outline of a hand on a cave wall in Indonesia may be the world’s oldest known rock art, according to archaeologists who say it was created at least 67,800 years ago.
The ancient hand stencil was discovered in a limestone cave popular with tourists on Muna Island, part of south-eastern Sulawesi, where it had gone unnoticed between more recent paintings of animals and other figures.
Beyond providing a minimum age for the cave art, the work furthers thinking on how and when Australia first became settled, with the stencil most likely created by the ancestors of Indigenous Australians.
“There’s a lot of rock art out there but it’s really difficult to date,” said Prof Maxime Aubert, an archaeologist at Griffith University in Queensland. “When you can date it, it opens up a completely different world. It’s an intimate window into the past, and an intimate window into these people’s minds.”
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/jan/21/hand-shape-indonesia-cave-rock-art-67800-years-old
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I just gave my paleolithic art lecture this morning!
I can give this update to them on Monday!!
