Source: NT
Subject: Mapping
Context: Rock art dated to at least 67,800 years ago has been identified on Muna Island, Indonesia, making it the oldest known cave art in the world.
About Muna Island:
What is Muna Island?
- Muna Island is a large island in Southeast Sulawesi Province, Indonesia, known for its limestone landscapes, archaeological richness, and Austronesian cultural heritage. It is administratively divided into Muna, West Muna, and Central Buton regencies.
Location:
- Situated south-east of Sulawesi and west of Buton Island
- Lies in the Flores Sea, along the Wallacea biogeographical zone—a key corridor between Sunda (Asia) and Sahul (Australia–New Guinea).
Key geological features:
- Dominated by limestone karst formations with caves and rock shelters.
- Presence of speleothems (calcium carbonate deposits), which enabled U-series dating of cave art.
- Hilly terrain with elevations up to ~445 metres.
Discovery of ancient rock art:
- At Liang Metanduno cave, a hand stencil was dated using laser-ablation U-series dating of calcite layers overlying the pigment.
- The art has a minimum age of ~67.8 thousand years, older than similar cave art in Europe and western Indonesia.
- The motifs include hand stencils, some with intentionally modified fingers, indicating advanced symbolic expression.
Significance:
- World archaeology: Establishes Muna Island as the site of the oldest known cave art globally.
- Human evolution: Suggests that early Homo sapiens possessed complex symbolic and artistic capacities during their dispersal.
- Migration studies: Strongly supports the northern maritime route of early human migration from Southeast Asia to Sahul (~65 ka).
