67,800-year-old Sulawesi cave art rewrites the story of early Australians

Summary

On Sulawesi Island in Indonesia scientists report dating of cave art to at least 67,800 years ago, the oldest known cave art by Homo sapiens anywhere and the earliest evidence for when the first Australians reached the landmass of Australia and New Guinea. The image is a hand stencil that appears to have been altered to produce narrow claw like digits, giving the scene an ghostly, otherworldly feel. Similar stencil styles appear elsewhere on Sulawesi, suggesting symbolic or ritual links between humans and animals. The video frames how these discoveries fill in gaps in the artistic odyssey of the ancestors of the first Australians as they moved from Ice Age Asia through the islands of Indonesia toward Australia.

Overview and dating

The video discusses a claim that Sulawesi hosts the oldest known cave art, dated to at least 67,800 years ago, making it the earliest known cave art created by Homo sapiens anywhere in the world. This dating pushes back the timeline for the global artistic record and provides key evidence for when the first Australians reached the landmass of Australia and New Guinea. The context places these artworks on Sulawesi as part of a broader Ice Age journey from Asia through the archipelago into Sahul.

Art style and interpretation

The main image is a hand stencil altered by the artists to resemble a creature with claw like digits, creating an otherworldly apparition. The video notes that similar stencil motifs occur elsewhere on Sulawesi, suggesting symbolic or ritual associations between humans and animals and possibly a shared cultural language among ancient communities.

Migration and cultural odyssey

By filling in blanks about the artistic odyssey of the ancestors of the first Australians, the video demonstrates how painters traveling from Ice Age Asia to Australia across the Indonesian archipelago left a material record of their presence and migrations. It frames art as a guide to understanding how early humans moved into Sahul, the combined landmass of Australia and New Guinea when sea levels were lower, and how they adapted to island ecosystems over tens of thousands of years.

Methodology and significance

The discovery relies on modern dating methods and cross datings of art sites across Sulawesi, paired with fossil and genetic evidence about human dispersals. The results provide one of the earliest direct records of human creative expression beyond Africa and Europe, enriching arguments about the speed and routes of early human expansion into Sahul.

Conclusion and future directions

The video closes by highlighting the ongoing nature of archaeological discoveries and the need to rethink timelines of art and migration, as new sites and dates continue to reshape our understanding of how the first Australians and their ancestors moved from Ice Age Asia through the Indonesian islands to Australia and New Guinea.