51,000-year-old Indonesian cave painting may be the world's oldest storytelling art

A 51,000-year-old painting found in a cave on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi is believed to be the world's oldest example of narrative art. The artwork depicts a human-like figure interacting with a warty pig, suggesting that storytelling through art may have existed much earlier than previously thought. This discovery sheds new light on the history of artistic expression and human cognition.

Archaeological evidence indicates that Neanderthals began marking caves around 75,000 years ago, though these markings were generally non-figurative. Until recently, the oldest known figurative cave painting was a 21,000-year-old depiction of a bird-headed human charging at a bison found in Lascaux, France. However, in 2019, archaeologists uncovered an extensive collection of rock art in the Maros-Pangkep karst caves in Indonesia. Among these discoveries was a 15-foot-wide panel depicting human-like figures engaging with warty pigs and dwarf buffalos native to Sulawesi.

The significance of this narrative art lies in its rarity. Storytelling, believed to be a crucial component of human evolution and perhaps even a factor in our species' success, rarely leaves physical evidence. The Sulawesi cave painting not only reflects early storytelling practices but also provides insight into the cultural and imaginative capabilities of early humans.

Initially, researchers determined that the rock art panel was at least 43,900 years old, with the oldest image being a 45,500-year-old depiction of a warty pig. However, a more sensitive dating technique has revealed that the rock art is approximately 48,000 years old, making it even older. Furthermore, a similar depiction of the human-like figure and warty pig was discovered in another cave, Leang Karampuang, dating back at least 51,200 years — making it the oldest known example of narrative art.

Of particular interest to archaeologists is the artwork's depiction of a therianthrope, a part-human and part-animal figure. This depiction suggests that early humans possessed the ability to imagine and conceptually represent beings that do not exist in reality. Previously, the oldest evidence of a therianthrope was the 40,000-year-old 'Lion Man' sculpture found in a German cave. The Indonesian narrative art discovered pushes back the dates of such depictions significantly earlier, highlighting the groundbreaking nature of the findings.

The dating of the paintings was achieved using laser ablation uranium-series imaging on minuscule calcite samples from the cave walls. This approach allows for higher resolution dating while minimizing damage to the artwork itself. While some researchers contest the interpretation that these paintings represent a narrative, the dating methodology used in this study has been deemed reliable and innovative.

Although the identity of the painters remains a mystery, it is speculated that Homo sapiens were responsible for these ancient masterpieces. Additionally, the absence of evidence for human occupation suggests that the caves may have been reserved solely for art-making purposes, potentially associated with rituals or storytelling. These high-level caves served as special places in the landscape, where early humans ventured to create and view art.

Moving forward, the research team plans to further survey and date rock art in the area. Given the recent discoveries and ongoing investigations, it is highly likely that more hidden masterpieces await discovery, providing additional insights into the artistic capabilities of our ancestors.