Narrative cave art in Indonesia by 51,200 years ago

Abstract

Previous dating research indicated that the Indonesian island of Sulawesi is host to some of the oldest known rock art^1-3. That work was based on solution uranium-series (U-series) analysis of calcite deposits overlying rock art in the limestone caves of Maros-Pangkep, South Sulawesi^1-3. Here we use a novel application of this approach-laser-ablation U-series imaging-to re-date some of the earliest cave art in this karst area and to determine the age of stylistically similar motifs at other Maros-Pangkep sites. This method provides enhanced spatial accuracy, resulting in older minimum ages for previously dated art. We show that a hunting scene from Leang Bulu' Sipong 4, which was originally dated using the previous approach to a minimum of 43,900 thousand years ago (ka)³, has a minimum age of 50.2 ± 2.2 ka, and so is at least 4,040 years older than thought. Using the imaging approach, we also assign a minimum age of 53.5 ± 2.3 ka to a newly described cave art scene at Leang Karampuang. Painted at least 51,200 years ago, this narrative composition, which depicts human-like figures interacting with a pig, is now the earliest known surviving example of representational art, and visual storytelling, in the world³. Our findings show that figurative portrayals of anthropomorphic figures and animals have a deeper origin in the history of modern human (Homo sapiens) image-making than recognized to date, as does their representation in composed scenes.

Fig. 1. Map of the study area.

a, The Indonesian island of Sulawesi, showing the location of the southwestern peninsula (area inside rectangle). b, South Sulawesi, with the limestone karst area of Maros-Pangkep indicated by blue shading. The locations of cave sites with dated Late Pleistocene rock art were as follows: 1, Leang Bulu’ Sipong 4; 2, Leang Karampuang; 3, Leang Tedongnge; 4, Leang Timpuseng. Map sources: GEBCO 2023 Grid; South Sulawesi karst database (Badan Lingkungan Hidup Daerah Provinsi Sulawesi Selatan; I. A. Ahmad, A. S. Hamzah). MSL, mean sea level.

Fig. 2. Dated rock art panel at Leang Bulu’ Sipong 4.

a, Photostitched panorama of the rock art panel (using photographs enhanced using DStretch_Ire). Ther, therianthrope. b, Tracing of the dated rock art panel showing the results of LA-U-series dating. c, Transect view of the rock art sample BSP4.5 after removal from the artwork, highlighting the paint layer and the three integration zones (ROIs) and associated age calculations. d, LA-MC-ICP-MS imaging of the BSP4.5 ²³²Th/²³⁸U isotopic activity ratio.

Fig. 3. Dated rock art panel at Leang Karampuang.

a, Photostitched panorama of the rock art panel (with photographs enhanced using DStretch_ac_lds_cb). b, Tracing of the rock art panel showing the results of LA-U-series dating. c, Tracing of the painted scene showing the human-like figures (H1, H2 and H3) interacting with the pig. d, Transect view of the coralloid speleothem, sample LK1, removed from the rock art panel, showing the paint layer and the three integration zones (ROIs), as well as the associated age calculations. e, LA-MC-ICP-MS imaging of the LK1 ²³²Th/²³⁸U isotopic activity ratio.

Extended Data Fig. 1. The Leang Karampuang rock art site in Maros, South Sulawesi.

a, Aerial view of the limestone karst inselberg with Leang Karampuang at its base (the image was taken using a drone with a roughly southeast to northwest orientation); b, the upper level cave passage (indicated by orange arrow) containing the rock art at Leang Karampuang; pictured in this image is the large opening in the east wall of the passage that divides the cave into two chambers; c, northern chamber, looking from north to south; d, main rock art gallery in the southern chamber, containing the dated cave art panel – not clearly visible in the image are multiple paintings of pigs and other figures, and numerous hand stencils, on the overhead ceiling and adjoining upper walls; e, the dated rock art panel; f, plan view and cross-section of Leang Karampuang, showing the location of the dated rock art panel and other parietal artworks in the cave.

Extended Data Fig. 2. Key rock art panels at Leang Karampuang.

Images of rock art panels are shown in a–c and e–h; a,c,e,g,h comprise digital tracings of rock art pigment overlying photographic representations of the underlying limestone rock face; b and f are photographs of rock art panels that have been enhanced using the DStretch_ac_lds_cb software. A 3D model of the cave passage containing the rock art gallery is presented in d (model produced using a Leica BLK360 Imaging Laser Scanner). a, Panel with three animal figures, probably pigs (the two figures on the right are in superimposition); b, the dated panel, a single composed scene depicting three human-like figures interacting with a Sulawesi warty pig (S. celebensis); c, a complex panel with six hand stencils and five representations of S. celebensis pigs (labelled 1–5), along with an unidentified animal figure (labelled 6); e,f, clusters of hand stencils, including some that are juxtaposed in such a way as to form what seem to be deliberate arrangements or compositions (a minimum of 10 and 11 individual hand stencils are identifiable in the panels shown in e and f, respectively); g, hand stencils and an image associated with an unidentified, animal-like figure; h, a possible representation of a dwarf bovid (anoa, Bubalus sp.), showing the head and neck area of the animal only.

Extended Data Fig. 3. Coralloid speleothem samples from Leang Karampuang.

a, Photograph of the dated rock art panel on the ceiling, a narrative composition or scene depicting at least four interacting figures: three are human-like in form (denoted H1-H3), and a fourth much larger figure is a naturalistic representation of a pig (denoted Pig figure) facing left. A coralloid speleothem was collected from each of the four figures (coralloid samples are denoted LK1 to LK4) and dated. Coralloid sample LK1 was collected from figure H2, which is positioned immediately in front of the snout of the pig figure and is holding a material culture object in its left hand, one end of which is positioned close to the throat area of the pig; LK2 was collected from H3, which seems to be depicted in an upside down position just above the head of the pig; LK3 was collected from the pig figure; and LK4 was collected from H1, a large anthropomorphic figure with extended arms and no legs depicted; as with H2, this figure is represented with a stick-like object in its left hand; b–e, photographs of each of the coralloid speleothems still in situ on the rock art panel prior to sampling: LK1 (b), LK2 (c), LK3 (d) and LK4 (e).

Extended Data Fig. 4. Transect views of three dated rock art samples from Leang Bulu’ Sipong 4.

a, BSP4.2, c, BSP4.3, and e, BSP4.4. The pigment layer and the three integration zones (regions of integration, ROIs) are indicated, along with the associated age calculation for each sample. LA-MC-ICPMS imaging of b, BSP4.2, d, BSP4.3, and f, BSP4.4 ²³²Th/²³⁸U isotopic activity ratio. A zone of diagenesis is shown in b (ROI-d).

Extended Data Fig. 5. Transect views of three rock art samples from Leang Karampuang.

a, LK2; c, LK3; and e, LK4. The pigment layer and the three integration zones (regions of integration, ROIs) are indicated, along with the associated age calculation for each sample. LA-MC-ICPMS imaging of b, LK2, d, LK3 and f, LK4 ²³²Th/²³⁸U isotopic activity ratio. A zone of diagenesis is also shown in a (ROI-d).