In a largely unexplored corner of Indonesia, prehistoric handprints on cave walls may represent the oldest known example of rock art, dating back at least 67,800 years. The discovery, made by a team of Indonesian and Australian researchers, offers a remarkable glimpse into the artistic and cultural life of early humans.
The tan-coloured prints, found on the island of Sulawesi, were created by placing hands against the walls and blowing pigment over them, leaving delicate outlines. Some fingertips were intentionally modified to appear more pointed, suggesting early humans took creative liberties in shaping their work.
“Upon seeing the new study, I let out a little squeal of joy,” said independent paleoanthropologist Genevieve von Petzinger. “It fits everything I’d been thinking.”
Indonesia has long been recognised for hosting some of the world’s earliest cave drawings, but these handprints now set a record for the oldest found on cave walls. Previous examples of ancient art across the globe include simple markings on bones and stones, and cross-hatched designs in South Africa dated to around 73,000 years ago.
To establish the age of the Sulawesi art, researchers analysed mineral crusts that had formed over the handprints. The results confirmed their remarkable antiquity, while also revealing evidence of a more complex artistic tradition. Maxime Aubert of Griffith University, the study’s lead author, said the stencils may reflect shared cultural practices, signalling that early humans were experimenting with symbolic expression far earlier than previously documented.
It remains uncertain exactly which human species created the handprints. They could belong to Denisovans, an ancient group that once inhabited the region and may have interacted with Homo sapiens, or they might have been made by early modern humans venturing out of Africa. The finely shaped fingertips strongly suggest a human hand.
Other artwork in the same Sulawesi caves, including depictions of humans, birds, and horselike animals, is far more recent, with some pieces dating to around 4,000 years ago.
The findings raise intriguing possibilities about prehistoric artistic culture in Indonesia and neighbouring islands, which could harbour even older works yet to be discovered. “For us, this discovery is not the end of the story,” Aubert said. “It is an invitation to keep looking.”
These ancient handprints not only extend the timeline of human creativity but also provide a rare window into the ways early humans explored identity, self-expression, and the natural world. As research continues, scientists hope to uncover further evidence of how these artistic traditions spread, offering insights into the shared cultural fabric of humanity’s earliest days.
From the delicate outlines of hands on Sulawesi cave walls to later figurative depictions, these discoveries underline a timeless truth: the urge to create is as old as humankind itself.
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