via Nature, 27 May 2024: Basran Burhan, a PhD researcher at Griffith University, studies prehistoric caves in Sulawesi, Indonesia, where he helped date the oldest piece of figurative art to 43,900 years ago. His research in the Leang Bulu Bettue cave uncovers artifacts like ochre, animal bones, stone tools, and jewelry, aiming to understand the people who created the ancient cave art.
“The piece of ochre in my hands in this picture was once held by some of the earliest artists in human history. Before I found it, this ancient specimen had lain buried in a cave in southwest Sulawesi, Indonesia, for around 30,000 years. After I cleaned the dirt from its surface, I could see scratch marks where the artists had scraped off powder to create their cave wall art.
The karst limestone mountains of Sulawesi’s Maros–Pangkep region contain hundreds of prehistoric caves, many of which contain rock art. In 2019, I was part of a team that dated a hunting scene at one of these caves to at least 43,900 years ago — making it the earliest piece of figurative artwork yet discovered.
