Press Conference

The Indonesian archipelago is one of the regions that holds the oldest known rock art in the world. Recently, research from an international collaboration team between the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) and Griffith University and Southern Cross University (Australia) revealed the discovery of 67,800-year-old human handprints at Leang Metanduno, Muna Island, Southeast Sulawesi. This discovery was also published in the international scientific journal Nature, under the title “Rock art from at least 67,800 years ago in Sulawesi”.

Jakarta, January 22, 2026. The discovery of handprints dating back at least 67,800 years in this limestone cave places Indonesia as one of the most important centers in the early history of symbolic art and modern human sea exploration in the world. This finding is the oldest rock art that has ever been reliably dated, while also providing direct evidence that humans have been crossing the sea intentionally for nearly 70,000 years.

Adhi Agus Oktaviana, a researcher at the BRIN Research Center for Archaeometry, revealed that the minimum age of the Muna Island rock art is 16,600 years older than the previously discovered rock art from Maros–Pangkep. This rock art is also 1,100 years older than the handprints from Spain that were previously associated with Neanderthals and had long been considered the oldest cave art in the world.

Adhi explained that to determine the age of this rock art, the research team applied the laser-ablation uranium-series (LA-U-series) dating technique to the microscopic calcite layer covering the cave paintings. The analysis results showed an age of 71.6 ± 3.8 thousand years, giving a minimum age limit of 67.8 thousand years for the handprints in Liang Metanduno, Muna Island.

The discovery of handprints dating back at least 67,800 years in this limestone cave places Indonesia as one of the most important centers in the early history of symbolic art and modern human sea exploration in the world. This finding is the oldest rock art that has ever been reliably dated, while also providing direct evidence that humans have been deliberately crossing the sea for nearly 70,000 years.

This discovery confirms that Wallacea was not only a route to Australia, but also a major habitat for early modern humans. “It is very likely that the creators of these paintings were part of a population that later spread further east and eventually reached Australia,” said Adhi.

This discovery also reinforces the long chronological model, which states that humans reached the Sahul landmass (Australia–Papua) at least 65,000 years ago. “This discovery provides strong support that the ancestors of Australian Aboriginal peoples were in Sahul at or before 65,000 years ago,” added Dr. Oktaviana. This research provides the oldest direct evidence of modern humans on the northern migration route to Sahul, which involved sea exploration between Kalimantan (Borneo) and Papua—an area that remains relatively unexplored archaeologically. “With the dating of this rock art, we now have the earliest evidence of modern humans on the northern migration route to Sahul,” said Prof. Renaud Joannes-Boyau.

“This finding shows that Sulawesi is one of the oldest and most enduring artistic cultural centers in the world, with roots dating back to the earliest phase of human habitation in this region,” added Prof. Maxime Aubert, one of the lead researchers.

Meanwhile, Prof. Adam Brumm from the Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution (ARCHE), Griffith University, said that the handprints found in the rock art on Muna Island also have globally unique characteristics, with modifications that narrow the shape of the fingers to resemble claws, reflecting a mature symbolic expression. According to him, the symbolic meaning of this narrowing of the finger shape is still speculative.

"However, this art could symbolize the idea that humans and animals have a very close relationship. This is already evident in the earliest paintings in Sulawesi, including at least one scene that we interpret as a representation of a half-human, half-animal creature," explained Prof. Adam Brumm, who also co-led the research.

The discovery of 67,800-year-old rock art in Southeast Sulawesi marks an important milestone in the development of material science-based archaeology in Indonesia. Sofwan Noewidi, Head of the BRIN Archaeometry Center, stated that this research demonstrates how the application of cutting-edge technology, particularly laser ablation-based uranium series dating (LA–U-series), enables far more precise cultural chronology determination.

“Through direct analysis of the calcite layer covering the rock art pigments, we no longer rely on indirect dating. The physicochemical properties of calcite speleothems serve as a natural microstratigraphic archive that allows us to establish a reliable minimum age limit for modern human symbolic activity,” explained Sofwan.

With the discovery of Pleistocene rock art sites in the karst region of Sulawesi, this brings a great responsibility in preserving irreplaceable cultural heritage. Therefore, researchers are calling for the protection of karst areas containing ancient rock art sites to be an integral part of spatial planning and natural resource management policies.

Therefore, in addition to collaborating with Griffith University (Australia), this research also involves the Ministry of Culture, the Cultural Preservation Agency for Regions XVIII and XIX, Hasanuddin University, Halu Oleo University, and the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB).