Archaeologists have made an incredible discovery – the world’s oldest known cave painting – this wild pig that was made at least, yes at least, 45,500 years ago!
The finding was published in the journal Science Advances this week and provides experts with the earliest evidence of human settlement in Indonesia.
Doctoral student Basran Burhan made the discovery in the Leang Tedongnge cave on the island of Sulawesi in 2017. It is located in a remote valley, enclosed by sheer limestone cliffs and about an hour’s walk from the nearest road.
The pig painting measures 136 cm by 54 cm or 53 inches by 21), so it’s pretty huge in size. The Sulawesi warty pig was painted using dark red ochre pigment and has a short crest of upright hair, as well as a pair of horn-like facial warts, which are apparently characteristic of the adult males.
Before the new discovery, the oldest rock art was 43,900 years old, and amazing it was found by the same team of researchers in Sulawesi, art that showed part-human, part-animal figures hunting animals. Watch the video I made on the earlier discovery here:
https://youtu.be/hs6DVTSOEOw