What's happened
Researchers have dated a hand stencil in Sulawesi, Indonesia, to at least 67,800 years ago, making it the oldest known cave artwork. The art was created by blowing pigment over a hand pressed against the wall, indicating early symbolic behavior by humans or related species. The discovery pushes back the timeline of human artistic expression.
What's behind the headline?
The discovery of the 67,800-year-old hand stencil in Sulawesi fundamentally challenges Eurocentric narratives of human cognitive development. It demonstrates that complex symbolic behavior, including art, emerged independently or earlier in Southeast Asia than in Europe. The deliberate modification of fingertips to resemble animal claws hints at a symbolic or cultural significance that extends beyond simple representation. This pushes the origin of human creativity back by at least 15,000 years and suggests that early humans, possibly Denisovans or modern Homo sapiens, possessed a capacity for abstract thought far earlier than previously believed. The findings imply that Indonesia was a hub of early artistic innovation, and that the spread of symbolic culture was more widespread and complex. Future research will likely uncover even older or more sophisticated art, further reshaping our understanding of human cognitive evolution and migration patterns.
What the papers say
The articles from Ars Technica, the New York Times, and the NY Post all highlight the significance of this discovery, with Ars Technica emphasizing the cultural vibrancy of Sulawesi during the late Pleistocene, and the New York Times noting the implications for understanding early human migration. The NY Post underscores the challenge to European-centric views of human creativity, citing the age and style of the Indonesian cave art. While all sources agree on the importance of the find, Ars Technica provides detailed archaeological context, and the NY Post emphasizes the broader implications for human history. The New York Times offers a balanced perspective, noting the ongoing questions about the creators of the art and future research directions.
How we got here
The discovery builds on previous findings of ancient cave art in Indonesia, which has long been recognized for its rich archaeological record. The hand stencil was found in the Liang Metanduno cave on Muna Island, where researchers have been exploring rock art sites since 2015. Dating mineral crusts covering the art confirmed its age, making it the oldest known artwork, surpassing European cave art by thousands of years. These findings suggest early humans or related species like Denisovans may have engaged in symbolic activities much earlier than previously thought, and that Indonesia was a significant center of early artistic culture.
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Sulawesi, also known as Celebes, is one of the four Greater Sunda Islands. It is governed by Indonesia. The world's eleventh-largest island, it is situated east of Borneo, west of the Maluku Islands, and south of Mindanao and the Sulu Archipelago.