The oldest figurative painting in the world has been discovered in the Indonesian province of South Sulawesi by scientists from Australia and Indonesia, the BBC reported.
The rock paintings are over 52,000 years old.
The oldest figurative painting in the world has been discovered in the Indonesian province of South Sulawesi by scientists from Australia and Indonesia, the BBC reported.
The cave paintings on Karampuang Hill on the island of Celebes depict a wild pig and three human figures and are at least 52,300 years old, making them over 5,000 years older than any previously known cave art.
Prof. Maxime Aubert of Griffith University in Australia told BBC News that the discovery would change the idea of human evolution. “This painting tells a complex story. It is the oldest existing evidence of a story. It shows that even then people were capable of abstract thinking,” he stressed.
The pig in the painting has its mouth partially open. The largest of the human figures has its hands outstretched and appears to be holding a stick.
The second figure is painted directly in front of the pig and also appears to be holding a stick that may be touching the animal’s throat. The third figure is upside down and has one of its hands reaching toward the pig’s head.
The oldest paintings – made over 72 thousand years ago – were discovered in Africa, but they are geometric patterns.
