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  • RESEARCH BRIEFINGS

Hand stencils in Indonesian cave are world’s oldest known artworks

Rock art found in Indonesia dates to at least 67,800 years ago, representing the earliest known cave art made by humans. These findings provide insights into the movement and cultural lives of populations that contributed to the ancestry of Indigenous Australian and Papuan people.

This is a summary of: Oktaviana, A. A. et al. Rock art from at least 67,800 years ago in Sulawesi. Nature https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09968-y (2026).

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doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-026-00018-9

‘Expert opinion’ and the figure are published under a CC BY 4.0 licence.

References

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