67,800-year-old hand stencil in Sulawesi cave is the world's oldest known human-made art

Researchers dated a faint hand stencil in a Limestone cave at Liang Metanduno to about 67,800 years ago using uranium‑thorium dating of overlying calcite, making it the oldest known surviving human-made rock art; the team surveyed dozens of Sulawesi-area sites and dated multiple pieces of ancient cave art.

Archaeologists report that a faded red hand stencil on a cave wall at Liang Metanduno, on a small island off Sulawesi, has been dated to about 67,800 years ago. The date comes from uranium‑thorium analysis of a thin calcite layer that formed over the pigment. The study was carried out over several years by Adhi Agus Oktaviana and colleagues during surveys of rock art across Sulawesi and nearby satellite islands. The finding is presented as the oldest known surviving example of human‑made rock art and as the earliest direct evidence of Homo sapiens in parts of Wallacea. Key findings: - The hand stencil is on a limestone cave wall at Liang Metanduno and appears today as a faint reddish halo outlining part of a palm and finger bases. - A nearly transparent calcite sheet over the image was dated by uranium‑thorium methods to at least 71,000 years, implying the stencil beneath was applied earlier and is estimated at about 67,800 years old. - The research team surveyed 44 rock‑art sites, reported 14 previously undocumented sites, and obtained dates for 11 pieces of art across eight caves. - The Liang Metanduno stencil predates the previous contender (a Neanderthal hand stencil in Spain) by roughly 1,100 years and is described as the oldest known surviving human artwork. - The find provides direct evidence of Homo sapiens in Wallacea at this time and is discussed in the context of early long‑distance sea crossings and debates about the timing of human arrival in Australia (including comparisons with dates from Madjedbebe). - The cave shows layered use over many millennia, including other hand stencils dated to about 60,900 and 21,500 years ago and later drawings such as a chicken image added after domesticated chickens arrived, around 5,000 years ago. Summary: The Liang Metanduno hand stencil extends the archaeological record of early symbolic behavior in Island Southeast Asia and documents Homo sapiens activity in Wallacea at least 67,800 years ago. The result reinforces interpretations that people were making open‑water crossings in this region much earlier than previously documented and factors into ongoing discussions about the timing of human arrival in Australia. Further surveys and analyses in Sulawesi and neighboring islands are continuing to refine the regional chronology and to document additional rock art. Undetermined at this time