Earliest hunting scene in prehistoric art

Summary

Researchers in Sulawesi, Indonesia, have uncovered a previously unknown cave art site with a unique hunting scene depicting therianthropes—part human, part animal figures. The discovery includes a miniature of a wild pig and anoa, a buffalo unique to the island. Dating suggests this could be the oldest rock art on Earth, at least 43,900 years old, and the earliest example of figurative art. This significant find challenges our understanding of early human culture and hints at a rich, spiritual narrative.

Takeaways

• 🌏 Collaborative Exploration: The cave art in Sulawesi, Indonesia, is being explored by an international team including Indonesian scientists and local heritage organizations.
• 🔍 Unprecedented Discovery: A new, high-level cave with unique rock art was discovered in a well-explored area, indicating the potential for more undiscovered sites.
• 🎨 Unique Artwork: The cave contains a rare painting depicting a hunting scene with wild animals like a type of wild pig and the anoa, a buffalo unique to the island.
• 🧍‍♂️ Therianthropes: The hunters in the painting are portrayed as part-human, part-animal creatures, known as therianthropes, with some having bird heads or tails.
• 🏹 Hunting Tools: The figures are shown using tools like spears or ropes, suggesting a detailed narrative or myth about hunting.
• 🗓️ Dating the Art: The rock art is dated using uranium series dating of mineral growths that formed over the paintings, providing a minimum age.
• 🏆 Oldest Art: This art could be the oldest on Earth, being at least 43,900 years old, and possibly much older.
• 🖼️ Figurative Art: It represents some of the earliest figurative art, where the image resembles what it's intended to represent.
• 🌟 Ultimate Rock Art: The site is considered a pinnacle of rock art, featuring hand stencils, animal paintings, humans, and narrative scenes.
• 🚀 Expanding Understanding: The discovery challenges and expands our understanding of early human art and culture.

Q & A

What is the significance of the cave art discovered in Sulawesi?

The cave art in Sulawesi is significant because it represents a rich rock art province with a newly discovered site that contains unique and previously unseen imagery in the region.

Who collaborated in the exploration of the cave art in Sulawesi?

The exploration was a collaborative effort involving researchers from the National Research Centre for Archaeology in Indonesia, the local Cultural Heritage Preservation Branch in Makassar, and colleagues from various other local organizations.

How was the new cave art site discovered?

The new site was discovered when a team member looked up and noticed what seemed to be an entrance to a high-level cave. Upon climbing up a fig tree root to investigate, they found the incredible new rock art site.

What is depicted in the painting found in the high-level cave?

The painting depicts a hunting scene involving wild animals such as a type of wild pig and a miniature buffalo known as an anoa, as well as tiny hunters portrayed as part human part animal creatures, known as therianthropes.

What are therianthropes and how are they represented in the painting?

Therianthropes are part-human, part-animal creatures. In the painting, they are depicted with features such as a bird's head or a tail, and they are armed with spears or ropes for hunting.

What does the hunting scene suggest about the culture of the people who created the art?

The hunting scene suggests a complex story or myth that could be linked to spirituality, indicating a rich cultural and possibly religious significance in the art.

How is the age of rock art typically determined?

The age of rock art is typically determined by dating mineral growths, such as calcium carbonate coatings, that form over the paintings over time. This method provides a minimum age for the artwork.

What is the minimum age of the rock art panel discovered in Sulawesi?

The minimum age of the rock art panel is at least 43,900 years old, as determined by uranium series dating of the mineral growths that formed over the painting.

Why is the age of the rock art significant?

The age of the rock art is significant because it suggests that this may be the oldest rock art found anywhere on Earth, and it is the earliest known figurative art.

What elements are present in the rock art site that make it considered the 'ultimate' of rock art?

The site is considered the 'ultimate' of rock art because it contains hand stencils, animal paintings, depictions of humans, and narrative scenes with humans having animal features, all present from the beginning.

What does the discovery imply for our understanding of human history?

The discovery implies that there is much more rock art waiting to be found that could significantly change our understanding of the human story and the development of art and culture.

Outlines

00:00

🖼️ Discovery of Ancient Cave Art in Sulawesi

The script describes a collaborative exploration of cave art in Sulawesi, Indonesia, involving international and local scientific organizations. The team stumbled upon a previously unnoticed high-level cave with a unique hunting scene painting. The art depicted a group of therianthropes, part-human and part-animal figures, hunting wild animals native to the island, such as a type of wild pig and a miniature buffalo called anoa. The discovery was significant as it suggested a complex narrative or mythological story, possibly linked to spirituality. The art's dating, through the analysis of mineral growths known as 'cave popcorn', indicated the painting could be at least 43,900 years old, making it potentially the oldest known rock art and the earliest figurative art on the planet.

Keywords

💡Sulawesi

Sulawesi is an Indonesian island located between Borneo and the Maluku Islands. In the context of the video, it is described as a 'rich rock art province,' indicating that the island has a significant number of caves with ancient artwork. The discovery of a new cave with unique paintings in Sulawesi is central to the video's narrative, emphasizing the importance of the region in the study of ancient art.

💡Cave Art

Cave art refers to paintings, drawings, and other forms of artwork created on cave walls. The video discusses the exploration of cave art in Sulawesi, with a particular focus on a newly discovered site. Cave art is significant because it provides insights into the lives, beliefs, and artistic capabilities of ancient human societies.

💡Therianthropes

Therianthropes are mythological or legendary creatures that are part human and part animal. In the video, the figures depicted in the cave art are described as therianthropes, combining human and animal features. This suggests a complex mythology or belief system among the ancient people who created the art, and it challenges our understanding of early human storytelling and symbolism.

💡Hunting Scene

A hunting scene is a depiction of a hunt, often involving humans or humanoid figures pursuing animals. The video describes a painting of a hunting scene involving wild animals and therianthropes, which implies a narrative or story being told through the art. This could reflect the importance of hunting in the society that created it or symbolize a mythological event.

💡Anoa

The anoa is a type of miniature buffalo native to Sulawesi, mentioned in the video as one of the animals depicted in the cave art. The presence of the anoa, an island-specific species, provides geographical and ecological context to the artwork and suggests that the artists had a detailed knowledge of the local fauna.

💡Uranium Series Dating

Uranium series dating is a scientific method used to determine the age of certain minerals, including those found in caves. The video explains that mineral growths, or 'cave popcorn,' that formed over the paintings can be dated using this method, providing a minimum age for the artwork. This technique is crucial for dating cave art, which is often difficult to assign an age to.

💡Figurative Art

Figurative art is art that represents objects, figures, or scenes in a way that is recognizable and similar to the subject it represents. The video describes the cave art as the earliest known figurative art, indicating that it is one of the oldest representations of recognizable figures and scenes, which is a significant milestone in the evolution of human art.

💡Cave Popcorn

Cave popcorn is a term used to describe small, popcorn-like mineral formations that can form on cave walls over time. In the video, it is mentioned that these formations can be dated using uranium series dating, which helps determine the minimum age of the cave art beneath them.

💡National Research Centre for Archaeology

The National Research Centre for Archaeology is an Indonesian institution involved in the exploration and study of the cave art. The video highlights the collaborative efforts between international and local researchers, emphasizing the importance of such partnerships in uncovering and understanding ancient cultural artifacts.

💡Cultural Heritage Preservation Branch

The Cultural Heritage Preservation Branch is a local organization based in Makassar that works to protect and preserve cultural heritage sites. The video mentions this branch as part of the collaborative team studying the cave art, indicating the importance of local involvement and expertise in such archaeological projects.

💡Spirituality

Spirituality refers to a belief or involvement in a higher power or something beyond the physical world. The video suggests that the cave art may be linked to spirituality, indicating that the paintings could have had a religious or spiritual significance for the people who created them. This connection highlights the multifaceted nature of cave art, serving not only as a form of expression but also as a reflection of the society's beliefs.

Highlights

Exploring cave art in Sulawesi with Indonesian scientific counterparts

Sulawesi is a rich rock art province

Discovery of a new high-level cave with unique rock art

The painting depicts a hunting scene involving wild animals

Animals portrayed include a type of wild pig and a miniature buffalo known as an anoa

Hunters in the painting are depicted as part-human, part-animal creatures called therianthropes

Therianthropes are armed with spears or ropes

The scene suggests a story or myth related to spirituality

The discovery was unprecedented in Sulawesi

Dating rock art is exceptionally difficult

Mineral growths over the art can be dated using uranium series dating

The painting is at least 43,900 years old, possibly much older

This could be the oldest rock art on the planet

It represents the earliest figurative art

The site contains hand stencils, animal paintings, humans, and narrative scenes

The site suggests a rich potential for further rock art discoveries

The discovery challenges our understanding of the human story

Transcripts

We've been exploring the cave art of this part of Sulawesi with our

scientific counterparts in Indonesia; the National Research Centre for Archaeology

in the local Cultural Heritage Preservation Branch based in Makassar

as well as our colleagues from various other local counterpart organisations.

It's an amazingly rich rock art province there in Sulawesi. This cave is in a

really well explored area you know our teams have been through there a million

times, and then one day one of the guys just looked up and noticed what seemed

to be an entrance to a high-level cave climbed up a fig tree root to

investigate it and then bang there's this incredible new rock art site in

there that's essentially like nothing we've ever seen before in this entire

region. It's this beautiful painting of some sort of hunting scene involving

what seemed to be these wild animals; a type of wild pig as well as a type of

miniature buffalo known as an anoa only found on this island,

very small but dangerous animals. Amongst this group of animals running across the

cave wall essentially you can see a whole group of these tiny little hunters,

which at first we thought wow these look like little people hunting these animals,

but when you look closely at them you can see that the the figures themselves

have been portrayed as part human part animal creatures they're what we call

therianthropes. Like for example one of them seems to have the head of a bird

and another one seems to have a tail. They're armed with what seemed to be

spears or ropes that they're using to hunt these these wild animals.

It suggested to us this extraordinary scene shows some sort of story or myth.

From what we know here it's complex it's fully complex and it could be linked to

to like spirituality.

Exactly.

We had never seen anything like that at all anywhere in Sulawesi

so we were stunned by the implications of this image.

Rock art is exceptionally difficult to date in the best of circumstances. We find the

rock out in these limestone caves where naturally over time these mineral

growths develop all over the cave wall and in some cases when we're very lucky

these mineral growths develop over the ancient rock art.

And they're like a calcium carbonate coating and we can date them with the uranium series dating.

So essentially we can date when those cave popcorn formed on top of the painting so

it provides us with a minimum range so that's why we can say that this panel

here is at least forty three point nine thousand years old...

so it could be much older than that.

This was just mind boggling because this showed us that this was

possibly the oldest rock art anywhere on the face of the planet.

It's also the earliest what we call figurative art and an image of something

that formally resembles what its intended to represent.

To me this site is like the ultimate of rock art. It's everything there.

There's like a few hand stencils animal paintings, there is humans,

there's a narrative scene there's human with animal features... like it's all there

and it's not just all there later it's all there from the beginning.

It's just amazing and to me it just shows how much more rock artists out

there waiting to be discovered that completely changes our understanding of

the human story.

Absolutely.