PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Brumm, Adam
AU  - Oktaviana, Adhi Agus
AU  - Burhan, Basran
AU  - Hakim, Budianto
AU  - Lebe, Rustan
AU  - Zhao, Jian-xin
AU  - Sulistyarto, Priyatno Hadi
AU  - Ririmasse, Marlon
AU  - Adhityatama, Shinatria
AU  - Sumantri, Iwan
AU  - Aubert, Maxime
TI  - Oldest cave art found in Sulawesi
AID  - 10.1126/sciadv.abd4648
DP  - 2021 Jan 01
TA  - Science Advances
PG  - eabd4648
VI  - 7
IP  - 3
4099  - http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/7/3/eabd4648.short
4100  - http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/7/3/eabd4648.full
SO  - Sci Adv2021 Jan 01; 7
AB  - Indonesia harbors some of the oldest known surviving cave art. Previously, the earliest dated rock art from this region was a figurative painting of a Sulawesi warty pig (Sus celebensis). This image from Leang Bulu’ Sipong 4 in the limestone karsts of Maros-Pangkep, South Sulawesi, was created at least 43,900 years ago (43.9 ka) based on Uranium-series dating. Here, we report the Uranium-series dating of two figurative cave paintings of Sulawesi warty pigs recently discovered in the same karst area. The oldest, with a minimum age of 45.5 ka, is from Leang Tedongnge. The second image, from Leang Balangajia 1, dates to at least 32 ka. To our knowledge, the animal painting from Leang Tedongnge is the earliest known representational work of art in the world. There is no reason to suppose, however, that this early rock art is a unique example in Island Southeast Asia or the wider region.