Archaeologists have found ancient cave paintings in Indonesia that are at least 51,200 years old. These paintings show humans and a pig, making them the oldest known storytelling art. This discovery suggests that humans started creating story scenes much earlier than previously thought.

Previously, the oldest cave paintings were believed to be in Europe. However, new findings show that the oldest known cave paintings with scenes are actually in the limestone caves of Maros-Pangkep on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. These paintings include realistic images of humans and pigs, as well as mythical figures.

Dating these paintings accurately has been challenging. A new method using a laser to carefully remove samples of calcium carbonate from the cave walls has been developed by a team led by Adhi Agus Oktaviana from Griffith University in Australia. This method, called LA-U, allows scientists to date the paintings more precisely without damaging them.

The team used this technique on two cave paintings in Sulawesi. The first painting, in the Leang Bulu’ Sipong 4 cave, shows a mythical hunting scene and is at least 48,000 years old. The second painting, in the Leang Karampuang cave, shows three humans interacting with a pig and is at least 51,200 years old. This makes it the oldest known cave painting with human figures and a story scene.

These findings indicate that visual storytelling through art began much earlier than previously believed and that early humans in Indonesia were creating figurative art long before their counterparts in Europe.