WORLD’S OLDEST CAVE PAINTING
Researchers have determined that the world’s oldest known figurative cave painting dates back 51,200 years by using a new dating technique, according to a recent study.
Cave painting:
Discovered in the limestone cave of Leang Karampuang on Sulawesi Island, Indonesia.
It features a scene with three part-human, part-animal figures interacting with a wild pig, depicted in red pigment.
Leang Karampuang Cave
The Leang Karampuang Cave is located in South Sulawesi, Indonesia's Maros-Pangkep karst region.
Famous for its prehistoric rock paintings and archeological discoveries, the cave sheds light on the early stages of human civilization in the area.
It has some of the earliest known hand stencils and drawings of animals, which are thought to have been made by prehistoric people.
Key features of the Cave Paintings:
One figure seems to be holding an object near the pig’s throat.
Another is directly above the pig’s head in an upside-down position with legs splayed out.
The third figure is larger and grander in appearance than the others; it is holding an unidentified object and is possibly wearing an elaborate headdres.
New dating technique:
Technique Used: Uranium series (U-series) analysis of calcite deposits.
Process:
Laser Beams: Lasers are employed to precisely sample calcite deposits overlying the rock art.
Isotope Ratio Comparison: The ratio between uranium (parent isotope) and thorium (daughter isotope) in these calcite deposits is measured to determine the age of the paintings.
Significance of Method:
Accurate Dating: The method provides a more precise dating of the artwork by correlating the age of the calcium carbonate (calcite) directly with the pigment layer of the rock art.
Updated Age: For instance, a painting at Leang Bulu’ Sipong 4, previously estimated to be 43,900 years old, was found to be at least 4,000 years older based on this new dating technique.
Advantages:
Unambiguous Relationship: The method allows for a clear connection between the calcium carbonate material used for dating and the actual rock art layers, enhancing the accuracy of age estimations.
Significance of the painting:
Early Artistic Expression: The painting indicates that figurative portrayals of anthropomorphic figures and animals in art have a deeper historical origin than previously recognized.
Neanderthal Art: Neanderthals began marking caves around 75,000 years ago, but their markings were generally non-figurative.
Sulawesi Cave Art: The study highlights that depictions of anthropomorphic figures and therianthropes (beings that are part human, part animal) interacting with animals are found in the Late Pleistocene cave art of Sulawesi.
Cultural Significance: This early cave art suggests that a rich culture of storytelling through visual art, particularly involving human-animal relationships, existed in Sulawesi much earlier than in Europe.
Historical Implications: The findings push back the timeline for complex image-making and scenic representation in human history, demonstrating that these practices were established tens of millennia earlier than previously known.
Comparative Timing: The frequency of such depictions in Sulawesi cave art is notable for its early appearance compared to similar art found in Europe, which emerged much later.
In India, there is a lot of rock art in places like Madhya Pradesh, but haven’t had this kind of dating. This discovery underlines how important it is for the sciences to be involved in the work of archaeologists. The fact that we got such an early date allows us to ponder how it was conceived at that point in time, and so on.
