The paintings are older than Europe’s famed cave art such as Lascaux in France, and, while younger than some geometric abstract art found in South Africa, it’s the oldest of a narrative scene, the authors of the study said.
The cave art discoveries have challenged a longstanding belief that artistic expression — and the cognitive leap that fired up the human imagination — began in Europe.
BRIN Google Arts & CultureEvolution of dating techniquesDating cave art is often difficult if the work is made with mineral pigments such as ocher or manganese rather than biological materials such as carbon.
The study’s dating of the cave art is robust, but it’s “a leap of faith” to suggest that the figurative art was narrative in scope, said Paul Pettitt, a professor of archaeology at Durham University in the United Kingdom.
It’s also unclear why so much cave art has been found in this region of Indonesia, Aubert said, but he and his team expected to find more.
Persons:
“, ”, Maxime Aubert, ” , Adam Brumm, —, Renaud Joannes, Boyau, Joannes, Aubert —, Aubert, Nowell, wasn’t, it’s, Paul Pettitt, Dominic Julian, BRIN, Pettitt, It’s, sapiens
Organizations:
CNN, Griffith, for Social, Research, Australia’s Griffith University, BRIN Google Arts &, Southern Cross University, University of Victoria, Durham University, BRIN Google
Locations:
South Sulawesi, France, South Africa, Australia, Sulawesi, ”, Europe, Indonesia, archaeogeochemistry, Canada, United Kingdom, Africa