# Narrative cave art in Indonesia by 51,200 years ago
> Oktaviana A.A.

URL kanonis: https://discover.unhas.ac.id/publications/pub_scopus_85197901020
Jurnal / Konferensi: Nature
Tahun terbit: 2024
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-07541-7
ISSN: 00280836
Kuartil SJR: Q1
Citations: 77

## Authors
- Oktaviana A.A.

## Abstract
Abstract Previous dating research indicated that the Indonesian island of Sulawesi is host to some of the oldest known rock art 1–3 . 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 Sulawesi 1–3 . 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 world 3 . 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.

## Keywords
- Rock art
- Cave
- Cave painting
- Homo sapiens
- Narrative
- Paleontology
- Storytelling
- Archaeology
- Geology
- Art
- Geography
- Literature

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Sumber: Discover Unhas — RIMS Universitas Hasanuddin.
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