Limits RegistryPUBLIC RECORD
Limits RegistryA painting in Leang Karampuang cave in the Maros-Pangkep region of Sulawesi, Indonesia, showing three human-like figures interacting with a wild pig, was dated to at least 51,200 years old. The result, published in Nature in July 2024 by Indonesian and Australian researchers, makes it the oldest known figurative art and the earliest known visual storytelling scene.
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A painting in Leang Karampuang cave in the Maros-Pangkep region of Sulawesi, Indonesia, showing three human-like figures interacting with a wild pig, was dated to at least 51,200 years old. The result, published in Nature in July 2024 by Indonesian and Australian researchers, makes it the oldest known figurative art and the earliest known visual storytelling scene.
The greatest minimum age of any known cave painting that depicts recognizable figures arranged in a scene, as determined by radiometric dating.
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Limits Registry. LR-OLDEST-KNOWN-FIGURATIVE-NARRATIVE-ART. Oldest known figurative narrative cave painting. 2026.