The world's oldest surviving piece of art, a 67,800-year-old hand stencil on an Indonesian cave wall, has shed new light on the history of human exploration. The discovery, made by archaeologists studying Liang Metanduno Cave in Sulawesi, pushes back the known timeline of human artistic expression and our species' presence in the region.
The stencil, which was likely created around 67,800 years ago, features a faint outline of a hand with slightly pointed fingers. It is remarkably well-preserved considering its age, thanks to a thin layer of calcite covering the faded image. Radiocarbon dating suggests that the hand stencil dates back at least 71,000 years.
The find not only marks the oldest known artwork in the world but also pushes back our understanding of human migration and colonization of the region. The researchers believe that humans may have made the crossing from Asia to Indonesia around 10,000 years earlier than previously thought, with some estimates suggesting they reached Australia as far back as 65,000 years ago.
This discovery has significant implications for our understanding of human evolution and cultural development in the region. It highlights the ingenuity and creativity of ancient cultures and underscores the importance of preserving and studying these artifacts for a better understanding of our shared history.
The hand stencil is part of a larger body of artwork found on the island, including more recent stencils from around 17,000 years ago that bear striking similarities to the Liang Metanduno stencil. These finds suggest that there was a unique style of stencil art in Sulawesi, which may be older than previously thought.
The discovery also raises questions about the presence and evolution of other hominin species in the region. Fossils from Homo erectus, a close relative of Homo sapiens, have been found on some of the smaller islands, while others may have coexisted with early humans.
Overall, the Liang Metanduno hand stencil is an extraordinary find that sheds new light on human history and cultural development in the region. Its preservation and significance make it an important addition to our understanding of the past and a testament to the ingenuity and creativity of ancient cultures.
The stencil, which was likely created around 67,800 years ago, features a faint outline of a hand with slightly pointed fingers. It is remarkably well-preserved considering its age, thanks to a thin layer of calcite covering the faded image. Radiocarbon dating suggests that the hand stencil dates back at least 71,000 years.
The find not only marks the oldest known artwork in the world but also pushes back our understanding of human migration and colonization of the region. The researchers believe that humans may have made the crossing from Asia to Indonesia around 10,000 years earlier than previously thought, with some estimates suggesting they reached Australia as far back as 65,000 years ago.
This discovery has significant implications for our understanding of human evolution and cultural development in the region. It highlights the ingenuity and creativity of ancient cultures and underscores the importance of preserving and studying these artifacts for a better understanding of our shared history.
The hand stencil is part of a larger body of artwork found on the island, including more recent stencils from around 17,000 years ago that bear striking similarities to the Liang Metanduno stencil. These finds suggest that there was a unique style of stencil art in Sulawesi, which may be older than previously thought.
The discovery also raises questions about the presence and evolution of other hominin species in the region. Fossils from Homo erectus, a close relative of Homo sapiens, have been found on some of the smaller islands, while others may have coexisted with early humans.
Overall, the Liang Metanduno hand stencil is an extraordinary find that sheds new light on human history and cultural development in the region. Its preservation and significance make it an important addition to our understanding of the past and a testament to the ingenuity and creativity of ancient cultures.
I mean, can you believe this thing is older than my aunt's gossip 
? 67,800 years old! That's like, even before our ancestors were like "I'm bored with these clothes" 
. Anyway, I guess it just goes to show that humans have been making art and getting creative for ages...or at least, as long as humans have been trying to outdo each other on Instagram 
. And now we know they might have even been exploring Australia way back when – talk about a long commute 
!
this is wild, i mean 67,800 years old and still holding up, that's like my great grandma's stuff still being relevant today lol. i always knew that indonesia was like a hub for human activity but this just proves it. the fact that we're still not sure about other hominin species coexisting with early humans is crazy, it's like our history is still being rewritten before our eyes 
and can we talk about how cool it is that this stencil was preserved all these years? it's like nature's own art gallery out there. i'm hyped for more discoveries like this, they're gonna change everything we thought we knew about human history 
This is mind-blowing! 67,800-year-old art is wild 
I mean, I'm glad we're learning more about human history, but at the same time, it's crazy to think that our ancestors were already creating stuff like this so early on. The fact that the calcite layer has helped preserve it all these years is just amazing 
It does seem like humans might have been around earlier than we thought, but at the same time, it's still pretty cool to think that there was some level of creativity and self-expression happening so early on. And I'm curious about those other hominin species – did they coexist with humans or what? 
.
we need to study more about this region's history. i think its cool that the artists created something so intricate with just a stencil, shows how clever they were 
. and now we know humans might have migrated there earlier than thought, that changes everything 
It just goes to show how much our history is still being uncovered and written. I'm so glad archaeologists are working hard to preserve these artifacts for us to learn from. 