Emily Chan
But now, they have found that the painting is actually older than previously thought. Using the novel LA-U series technique, the researchers dated it to around 48,000 years ago.
In conclusion, these findings show that portrayals of animals and human figures in cave art originated earlier in history than what was believed in the past.
“The earliest Sulawesi rock art is not ‘simple’—it is quite advanced and shows the mental capacity of people at the time,” Aubert said.
“It also suggests that this capacity must have a much older origin, probably in Africa, and that older rock art are probably waiting discovery and dating.”
The study authors believe that the paintings they analyzed were created by modern humans, but they cannot rule out the idea that other human species might have made them.
