ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Ancient Hand Stencil Artwork Discovered in Indonesian Cave Dated to 67,800 Years

cultural-heritage · 2026-03-21

Researchers have identified what may be the oldest known cave painting, located in a cave on Sulawesi island in Indonesia. The artwork consists of reddish-brown hand stencils created approximately 67,800 years ago. This discovery pushes back the timeline for early human artistic expression and provides new insights into prehistoric creative practices.

Key facts

  • The artwork consists of hand stencils in a reddish-brown pigment
  • It was found in a cave on Sulawesi island, Indonesia
  • The painting has been dated to approximately 67,800 years old
  • Researchers describe it as a stencil that was subsequently modified
  • This represents potentially the oldest known cave painting discovered to date

Entities

Locations

  • Sulawesi
  • Indonesia

Sources