Indonesia Hand Stencil Dates to 67,800 Years, Oldest Rock Art
TL;DR Summary
Dating of 11 Sulawesi-area cave paintings places a hand stencil in Metanduno Cave on Muna Island at about 67,800 years old—the oldest known rock art. The stencil was made by pressing a hand to the wall and spraying pigment around it, suggesting modern humans traveling by dugout canoes who helped populate Sahul (New Guinea and Australia) around 65,000 years ago, with later charcoal and ocher drawings surrounding the stencil.
- News - Hand Stencil in Indonesia Named Oldest Rock Art Archaeology Magazine
- Rock art from at least 67,800 years ago in Sulawesi Nature
- Faded hand shape in Indonesian cave may be world’s oldest rock art CNN
- A 67,800-Year-Old Handprint May Be the World’s Oldest Rock Art The New York Times
- Can You See the Faded Outline of a Hand? Archaeologists Say This 67,800-Year-Old Stencil May Be the World's Oldest Known Rock Art Smithsonian Magazine
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