The artwork depicting three people interacting with a wild boar, dated to over 51,000 years ago, is one of the earliest known examples of storytelling art—a “blockbuster” from the Stone Age.
Australian archaeologists have recently discovered a storytelling artwork dated to over 51,000 years, painted on the rock walls of a cave in the Leang Karampuang region, southern Sulawesi, Indonesia.
This latest research has been published in the journal Nature.
This ancient artwork has shattered the record for the oldest known painting in the world, which was dated at 45,500 years, also discovered in this area in 2019.
Over 51,000-year-old cave painting is the oldest storytelling art created by humans. (Source: Griffith University/Nature).
Maxime Aubert, an archaeologist at Griffith University in Australia, stated that besides being the oldest artwork discovered, this also sets a new record for the earliest known figurative storytelling art—a “blockbuster” of Stone Age art.
The newly discovered painting depicts three individuals interacting with a wild boar, described as a “mysterious scene” symbolizing a “hunting story.”
Using a new dating technique, the research team concluded that the pigment used by prehistoric artists to create the painting on the rock wall dates back at least 51,200 years.
This is a notably ancient period for a storytelling artwork, as such pieces were not common until around 14,000-11,000 BCE.
More than 35,000 years ago, most prehistoric art was limited to abstract shapes. Some rock engravings from this period were merely sketches depicting recognizable shapes and objects like humans and animals.
The painting depicts the interaction of three people with a wild boar. (Source: Griffith University/Nature).
Adam Brumm, a professor of archaeology at Griffith University in Brisbane and a co-author of the study, noted that in the newly discovered painting, the ancient artists carefully arranged four distinct images in close spatial proximity, describing interactions in a way that allows observers to infer the actions taking place. This is a form of storytelling art.
The discovery of storytelling through cave paintings in Indonesia is extremely rare, marking a significant milestone in human history.
Maxime Aubert remarked that the ability of prehistoric peoples to narrate such a “sophisticated” story through art compels us to reconsider our understanding of the evolution of human cognition.
As human societies became more complex, so did their artworks, evolving from abstract shapes and doodles into visual representations that not only depicted reality but also conveyed deeper meanings.
The use of illustrative images to tell visual stories about the relationship between humans and animals indicates a rich storytelling culture that developed early in the history of modern humans in this region.
Scientists also hypothesize that similar complex artworks may have been created in many other places around the world during this time, but remain undiscovered.
