Australian archaeologists have uncovered humanity’s oldest-known rock art, and the prehistoric tableau of a warty pig and three stick figures may also be the earliest-ever depiction of a story.
“The painting is a narrative composition, a composed scene, depicting three human-like figures interacting with a pig, so it’s the earliest evidence identified for the use of storytelling in art,” said Adam Brumm, a professor of archaeology at Griffith University and co-author of thein the Sulawesi caves were at least 40,000 years old, rivalling the antiquity of charcoal drawings in Spain and France.
Another significant Sulawesi cave painting the researchers analysed depicts a gang of “therianthropes”, which are figures that combine features of animals and humans.At least 48,000 years ago, ancient artists drew these humans and added what appear to be beaks and tails – leaving behind some of the oldest evidence of creativity.
Over centuries, water has trickled over the Sulawesi cave paintings and left behind layers of calcium carbonate that hold uranium molecules: a molecular stopwatch that decays at a steady rate, allowing scientists to date ancient minerals.
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Source: 7NewsAustralia - 🏆 11. / 71 Read more »