67,800-Year-Old Ancient Paintings Discovered in Indonesia

It has been reported that the oldest rock paintings, which are very important for world science, have been found in Indonesia. This was reported by Zamin.uz.

According to the research results published in the journal "Nature," these findings provide important information for studying how ancient humans spread across the Southeast Asia region. Previously, scientists recognized the cave paintings in the south of Sulawesi island and the east of Borneo island as the oldest examples of art.

The study notes that the southeastern part of Sulawesi island had been an insufficiently studied area. Scientists from the University of Brisbane in Australia, led by Maxim Aubert, managed to identify 14 new archaeological sites precisely in this region.

Among these sites, the painted hand stencils and depictions of ancient humans found in the karst caves on Muna island are of particular significance. To determine the age of the paintings, scientists conducted radioisotope analysis on minerals partially covering the images.

According to the research results, the minimum age of the paintings was found to be 67,800 years. This places them among the oldest artworks created by human hands.

This discovery opens new opportunities for studying human history.