Hand stencil in Indonesia dates to at least 67,800 years ago

Researchers dated a faded reddish hand stencil found in the Liang Metanduno limestone cave on Muna island, Indonesia, to at least 67,800 years old using analysis of mineral crusts.

Researchers report the discovery of a reddish hand stencil inside the Liang Metanduno limestone cave on Muna island, off the eastern Indonesian island of Sulawesi. One of the stencils was dated to at least 67,800 years old. The prints are faded and were made by blowing pigment onto a hand pressed to the rock, leaving an outline. The finding was published in the journal Nature by an Indonesian and Australian research team. What researchers found: - A reddish hand stencil in Liang Metanduno cave on Muna island was dated to at least 67,800 years old. - The image is a faded hand stencil created by blowing pigment onto a hand pressed against the rock surface. - Researchers dated the painting by analysing mineral crusts that had formed on top of the pigment. - Sharpened or reshaped fingertips on some prints suggest they were human hands, and researchers reported a possible connection to ancestors of the first Australians. - The study was co‑authored by Adam Brumm of Griffith University and published in Nature; Brumm described the finding as "pretty extraordinary" because rock art is usually difficult to date. Summary: The discovery extends the known age of human-made rock art and adds evidence that symbolic marking occurred in Southeast Asia tens of thousands of years ago. It contributes to scientific discussions about when and where early humans began making art. Undetermined at this time.