World's oldest known cave painting found in Indonesia

The finding, published on Wednesday in the journal Science Advances, also represents some of the earliest archaeological evidence for modern humans in the region.
"The Sulawesi warty pig painting we found in the limestone cave of Leang Tedongnge is now the earliest known representational work of art in the world, as far as we are aware," said Professor Adam Brumm from Griffith University in Australia.

"The cave is in a valley that is enclosed by steep limestone cliffs, and is only accessible by a narrow cave passage in the dry season, as the valley floor is completely flooded in the wet season," said Brumm.
He noted that the isolated Bugis community living in this hidden valley claim it had never before been visited by Westerners.

The researchers noted that the Sulawesi warty pig painting, dated to at least 45,500 years ago, is part of a rock art panel located above a high ledge along the rear wall of Leang Tedongnge.
"It shows a pig with a short crest of upright hairs and a pair of horn-like facial warts in front of the eyes, a characteristic feature of adult male Sulawesi warty pigs," Brumm said.

Basran Burhan, an Indonesian archaeologist and Griffith University PhD student, who led the survey, said that humans have hunted Sulawesi warty pigs for tens of thousands of years.
"These pigs were the most commonly portrayed animal in the ice age rock art of the island, suggesting they have long been valued both as food and a focus of creative thinking and artistic expression," Burhan added.