Radical Anthropology

The interesting thing about these #Sulawesi rock art dates at 67,800 BP is the implications for #Hsapiens getting to Sahul pretty early. It puts this earlier than Spanish Neanderthal dates

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/czx1pnlzer5o

Oldest cave painting could rewrite origins of human creativity

A stencilled outline of a hand found on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi is the world's oldest known cave painting, researchers say.

BBC News
Jan 21 at 5:22pmWeb
Show threadRadical AnthropologyJan 21
Paper here
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09968-y
Rock art from at least 67,800 years ago in Sulawesi - Nature

A hand stencil painted on a cave wall on a small island off the coast of Sulawesi more than 67,800 years ago suggests a very early occupation of Wallacea.

Nature
Show threadArchaeoIainJan 21
@RadicalAnthro so true. But once the early dates for Madjedbebe came out this was always likely. But Aubert and Brumm have done a great job here.
Show threadRadical AnthropologyJan 21
@ArchaeoIain they sure have, and this fits in with the mtDNA suggestion of long chronology with a route going Sulawesi to Sahul
https://phys.org/news/2025-12-guineans-aboriginal-australians-descend-groups.html
New Guineans and Aboriginal Australians descend from two groups who arrived 60,000 years ago, research suggests

A collaboration between the University of Huddersfield's Archaeogenetics Research Group and the University of Southampton's Center for Maritime Archaeology, has clarified the first settlement of New Guinea and Australia by modern humans, Homo sapiens—refining our understanding of the origins of seafaring and maritime mobility.

Phys.org
Show threadArchaeoIainJan 21
@RadicalAnthro I think the southern route was <cough> dead in the water once it was pointed out that it was really difficult to navigate the currents from Lombok to Flores.. I'm still intrigued by the possible route through Taiwan. And I note an aDNA study from SW China in JAS today which has no mention of Denisova.