World’s oldest known rock art discovered in Indonesia

The hand stencil has been dated to at least 67,800 years ago, making it 1,100 years older than the earliest example of rock art that was known about before this, produced in Spain by Neanderthals. The Sulawesi work may, its finders say, provide insights into the migration of early humans to Australia.

“Making this discovery was both thrilling and humbling. Seeing the dating results for the first time was a real surprise, because they showed the art was far older than anyone expected,” says Maxime Aubert, an archaeologist and geochemist from Griffith University in Australia, and a co-author of the study published by the researchers in the journal Nature. 

“It was one of those rare moments in science when you realise you are looking at something that changes how we understand our shared human story.”