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29 | Welcome back, old friend. It’s been a long time, I think. How are you these days? Feeling any better? I think I am. I’ve changed a lot. You’ve changed so much, too. C’mon.. stay with me for a while. Just for a little while.
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45,500-Year-Old Painting of a Warty Pig from the Island of Sulawesi, in Indonesia: this is one of the world's oldest examples of figurative art, and one of the earliest known depictions of an animal

This painting was found in the cave known as Leang Tedongnge, which is located on the island of Sulawesi, in Indonesia. The figure of a pig was painted onto the cave wall at least 45,500 years ago, but it is stunningly well-preserved.

Above: a close-up of the pig's face, showing a pair of "spiky" head crests and preorbital facial warts, which are characteristic features of the Sulawesi warty pig (Sus celebensis), a species that still inhabits the forests of Sulawesi

The caves of Sulawesi contain the world's oldest known examples of figurative art (i.e. artwork that depicts real or recognizable subjects, like animals and human beings); the oldest figurative painting in the world is a 51,200-year-old depiction of a warty pig with three human-like figures, from the cave of Leang Karampuang.

Above: this painting from Leang Karampuang shows a warty pig with several anthropomorphic figures; it was created at least 51,200 years ago

Warty pigs appear in over 87% of the prehistoric animal paintings that have been documented in Sulawesi. Many of the other paintings depict a small, buffalo-like creature called an anoa (Bubalus sp.), which is a type of wild bovid that is also endemic to Indonesia. Both animals can still be found on the island of Sulawesi.

Above: anoas depicted in the cave paintings of Leang Timpuseng (top) and Leang Bulu' Sipong (bottom); the painting from Leang Bulu' Sipong dates back to at least 48,000 years ago, making it the second-oldest figurative painting in the world

Archaeologists have been aware of Sulawesi's cave art since the 1950's, but dating techniques were not used on the paintings until 2014. For decades, it was assumed that the artwork was less than 10,000 years old, but when animal paintings and hand stencils from seven different caves were finally analyzed in 2014, researchers were shocked to discover that some of the artwork was created more than 39,000 years ago. Since then, archaeologists have discovered and/or dated many other cave paintings from Sulawesi (and some from the neighboring island of Borneo) that date back to between 35,000 and 51,200 years ago.

Above: the cave painting from Leang Tedongnge

When this particular painting was discovered in 2017, it briefly qualified as the world's oldest example of figurative art and the oldest known depiction of an animal, but it has since been surpassed by two other cave paintings from other sites in Sulawesi. This is still the third-oldest figurative painting in the world.

These discoveries firmly contradict the traditional (and deeply eurocentric) assumptions that were once made regarding the origins of artistic expression, as this article explains:

Previously, the oldest known cave art was thought to have first appeared in Europe 40,000 years ago, showcasing abstract symbols. By 35,000 years ago, the art became more sophisticated, showing horses and other animals.
These latest finds in Indonesia have challenged a long-standing belief that artistic expression – and the cognitive leap that may have accompanied it – began in Europe.
It’s now thought that the capability to create figurative art either emerged before Homo sapiens migrated out of Africa and headed for Europe and Asia more than 60,000 years ago, or that it emerged more than once as humans spread around the globe.

And this article adds:

The geographic location of the painting is significant. Although experts have long recognized that humans originated in Africa, “Europe was once thought of as a ‘finishing school’ for humanity,” says archaeologist April Nowell of the University of Victoria in Canada, because all the oldest known examples of art and other sophisticated behaviors were found there. But in reality, the pattern of discoveries just reflected the disproportionate amount of archaeological research that was being carried out in Europe, especially in France.
“This new discovery adds to an already rich record of early and varied rock art from [Indonesia and Australia] and underscores the importance of conducting research outside Europe,” Nowell says.

Unfortunately, many of the cave paintings in Sulawesi and other parts of Indonesia are now rapidly crumbling away as a result of climate change. The limestone surfaces of the cave walls are peeling away at an alarming rate, erasing large sections of the paintings in the process; in some caves, patches of artwork measuring 2-3cm wide vanish every few months.

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we usually think of mood as a scale from 1-5, but there's actually a negative scale too, where the frown turns back into a smile, but just a little insane !

#krogu
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