Researchers have recently discovered what is believed to be the world’s oldest cave art on Muna Island in South Sulawesi, Indonesia, according to a study published in Nature on Wednesday.
The hand stencil was produced at least 67,800 years ago, according to the dating results.
The artwork was located about 300 kilometres from a cave painting discovered in 2024 that was then identified as the world’s oldest known dated cave painting, showing a depiction of a wild pig estimated to be around 51,200 years old, according to the Jakarta Post news outlet.
The latest find, a hand stencil discovered in the Liang Metanduno cave, is one of dozens of examples of rock art found across Muna Island and neighbouring Buton Island in Southeast Sulawesi.
Adhi Agus Oktaviana, an archaeologist at Indonesia’s National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) and one of the authors of the study, has been researching the island since 2015 for ancient hand stencils in caves.
He discovered several hand stencils, including one in the Metanduno cave that had been partially hidden beneath newer paintings depicting a person riding a horse alongside a chicken.
The study said the stencil was in a "poor state of preservation," with faded pigment, but still shows "a portion of the fingers and the adjoining palm area."
"The tip of one finger appears to have been artificially narrowed, either through the additional application of pigment or by moving the hand during pigment application, a distinct type of hand stencil art thus far identified only in Sulawesi," it said.
