It was reported that the oldest rock paintings, which are extremely important for science, have been discovered in Indonesia. According to a study published in Nature journal, these findings provide new clues about which directions and how ancient humans spread throughout Southeast Asia. Previously, scientists considered cave paintings in the south of Sulawesi and east of Borneo to be the oldest examples.
It is noted that the southeastern part of Sulawesi Island was previously considered insufficiently studied. Scientists from the University of Brisbane in Australia, led by Maxime Obert, have identified 14 new archaeological sites in this region. New images were found in karst caves on Muna Island, among which there are painted handprints and images of people.
To determine the age of the images, specialists conducted radioisotope analysis of minerals that partially covered the images. The results showed that the photographs are 67,800 years old. This brings them to the ranks of the oldest images known to science, created by human hands.
Read “Zamin” on Telegram!
