Hand stencils in Indonesian cave are world’s oldest known artworks
Rock art found in Indonesia dates to at least 67,800 years ago, representing the earliest known cave art made by humans. These findings provide insights into the movement and cultural lives of populations that contributed to the ancestry of Indigenous Australian and Papuan people. The cave art suggests that the ancestors of Indigenous Australians and Papuans brought sophisticated culture.
Publication Details
- Journal
- Nature
- Published
- 2026-01-21
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-026-00018-9
- Primary Topic
- Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00