15 Jul 2024

Oldest cave art in the world discovered in Indonesia

From Afternoons, 1:25 pm on 15 July 2024
Archaeologists have found the oldest known cave art in Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Photo: Dominic Julian

Archaeologists have discovered a piece of cave art which has become the oldest known example at more than 51 thousand years old.

The picture was found at the Indonesian island of Sulawesi and depicts a hunting-like interaction between humans and a pig.

The team of international researchers used a new technique which includes a laser beam four times smaller than the width of a human hair.

Adam Brumm is a professor of archaeology at the Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution, and he co-led the study.

He speaks to Jesse.