Scientists Find World's Oldest Cave Painting in Indonesia
2024-07-11
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1On the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, scientists have discovered the world's oldest known cave painting.
2The researchers used a laser to date the painting.
3They found it was created at least 51,200 years ago.
4The painting is inside a cave called Leang Karampuang in an area of South Sulawesi province.
5The scientists used the laser to date crystal structures of the mineral calcium carbonate that formed naturally on top of the painting.
6Maxime Aubert is an expert in archaeology at Griffith University in Australia.
7He was one of the leaders of the research published in the journal Nature.
8He said the new dating method is an improvement over other ways of dating rock paintings.
9The painting is a dark red color.
10It shows a pig that is 92 centimeters by 38 centimeters.
11Three human-like images are near the pig.
12The researchers think the painting is likely the oldest-known evidence of storytelling in art.
13Griffith University archeologist Adam Brumm was another leader of the research team.
14He thinks the position of the human images near the pig gives the painting a feeling of action.
15"There is something happening between these figures. A story is being told," he said.
16The researchers also used the laser to estimate the date from another cave painting on Sulawesi.
17That cave is called Leang Bulu' Sipong 4.
18The painting in it shows part-human, part-animal figures hunting pigs and small buffalo.
19"We, as humans, define ourselves as a species that tells stories, and these are the oldest evidence of us doing that," Aubert said.
20Little is known about the people who created the Sulawesi cave paintings.
21Aubert said the paintings might be older than the age found by the new testing.
22The paintings might date closer to the time humans first came to the area, around 65,000 years ago.
23Until now, the oldest-known cave painting was from another cave in Sulawesi, from at least 45,500 years ago.
24The researchers said the Leang Karampuang painting is older than the cave paintings of Europe.
25The oldest known painting found in Europe is at El Castillo in Spain, dating to about 40,800 years ago.
26Before the discovery of cave paintings in South Sulawesi in 2014, some experts thought humans first created art in Europe.
27"This discovery of very old cave art in Indonesia drives home the point that Europe was not the birthplace of cave art," Brumm said.
28"The earliest Sulawesi rock art is not 'simple,'" Aubert added.
29"It is quite advanced and shows the mental capacity of people at the time."
30I'm Andrew Smith.
1On the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, scientists have discovered the world's oldest known cave painting. The researchers used a laser to date the painting. They found it was created at least 51,200 years ago. 2The painting is inside a cave called Leang Karampuang in an area of South Sulawesi province. The scientists used the laser to date crystal structures of the mineral calcium carbonate that formed naturally on top of the painting. 3Maxime Aubert is an expert in archaeology at Griffith University in Australia. He was one of the leaders of the research published in the journal Nature. He said the new dating method is an improvement over other ways of dating rock paintings. 4The painting is a dark red color. It shows a pig that is 92 centimeters by 38 centimeters. Three human-like images are near the pig. 5The researchers think the painting is likely the oldest-known evidence of storytelling in art. 6Griffith University archeologist Adam Brumm was another leader of the research team. He thinks the position of the human images near the pig gives the painting a feeling of action. "There is something happening between these figures. A story is being told," he said. 7The researchers also used the laser to estimate the date from another cave painting on Sulawesi. That cave is called Leang Bulu' Sipong 4. The painting in it shows part-human, part-animal figures hunting pigs and small buffalo. 8"We, as humans, define ourselves as a species that tells stories, and these are the oldest evidence of us doing that," Aubert said. 9Little is known about the people who created the Sulawesi cave paintings. Aubert said the paintings might be older than the age found by the new testing. The paintings might date closer to the time humans first came to the area, around 65,000 years ago. 10Until now, the oldest-known cave painting was from another cave in Sulawesi, from at least 45,500 years ago. 11The researchers said the Leang Karampuang painting is older than the cave paintings of Europe. The oldest known painting found in Europe is at El Castillo in Spain, dating to about 40,800 years ago. 12Before the discovery of cave paintings in South Sulawesi in 2014, some experts thought humans first created art in Europe. 13"This discovery of very old cave art in Indonesia drives home the point that Europe was not the birthplace of cave art," Brumm said. 14"The earliest Sulawesi rock art is not 'simple,'" Aubert added. "It is quite advanced and shows the mental capacity of people at the time." 15I'm Andrew Smith. 16Will Dunham reported this story for Reuters news agency. Andrew Smith adapted it for VOA Learning English with additional information from "Nature" and other Reuters reports. 17______________________________________________ 18Words in This Story 19crystal -n. a geometrical structure formed by a mineral under certain conditions 20figure -n. the image of a person in a picture or art form 21advanced -adj. showing development or intelligence 22capacity -n. the ability to do a task or some kind of activity