Narrative cave art in Indonesia by 51,200 years ago

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Oktaviana, Adhi Agus; Joannes-Boyau, Renaud; Hakim, Budianto; Burhan, Basran; Sardi, Ratno; Adhityatama, Shinatria; Hamrullah, Iwan; Sumantri, Iwan; Tang, M.; Lebe, Rustan; Ilyas, Imran; Abbas, Abdullah; Jusdi, Andi; Mahardian, Dewangga Eka; Noerwidi, Sofwan; Ririmasse, Marlon N. R.; Mahmud, Irfan; Duli, Akin; Aksa, Laode M.; McGahan, David; Setiawan, Pindi; Brumm, Adam; Aubert, Maxime
• 署名单位: Griffith University; Griffith University - Gold Coast Campus; Griffith University; Griffith University - Gold Coast Campus; Southern Cross University; Griffith University; Universitas Hasanuddin; Universitas Hasanuddin; Institute Technology of Bandung; Griffith University
• 刊物名称: Nature
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0028-6377
• DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07541-7
• 发表日期: 2024-07-25
• 关键词: rock art; late pleistocene

摘要

Previous dating research indicated that the Indonesian island of Sulawesi is host to some of the oldest known rock art1-3. That work was based on solution uranium-series (U-series) analysis of calcite deposits overlying rock art in the limestone caves of Maros-Pangkep, South Sulawesi1-3. Here we use a novel application of this approach-laser-ablation U-series imaging-to re-date some of the earliest cave art in this karst area and to determine the age of stylistically similar motifs at other Maros-Pangkep sites. This method provides enhanced spatial accuracy, resulting in older minimum ages for previously dated art. We show that a hunting scene from Leang Bulu' Sipong 4, which was originally dated using the previous approach to a minimum of 43,900 thousand years ago (ka)3, has a minimum age of 50.2 +/- 2.2 ka, and so is at least 4,040 years older than thought. Using the imaging approach, we also assign a minimum age of 53.5 +/- 2.3 ka to a newly described cave art scene at Leang Karampuang. Painted at least 51,200 years ago, this narrative composition, which depicts human-like figures interacting with a pig, is now the earliest known surviving example of representational art, and visual storytelling, in the world3. Our findings show that figurative portrayals of anthropomorphic figures and animals have a deeper origin in the history of modern human (Homo sapiens) image-making than recognized to date, as does their representation in composed scenes. A cave art scene at Leang Karampuang, Indonesia, dated to at least 51,200 years ago using laser-ablation uranium-series imaging, depicts human-like figures interacting with a pig.