World's Oldest Cave Art

• 15 Jan 2021

Why in News

Recently, archaeologists have discovered the world’s oldest known cave art which is a life-sized picture of a wild pig that was painted at least 45,500 years ago in Indonesia.

Key Points

• Location:
  
  • The picture was found in the Leang Tedongnge cave in a remote valley on the island of Sulawesi, Indonesia.
• Sulawesi Warty Pig Painting:
  
  • It dates to at least 45,500 years ago.
  • It shows a pig with a short crest of upright hairs and a pair of horn-like facial warts in front of the eyes, a characteristic feature of adult male Sulawesi warty pigs.
    
    • Sulawesi warty pigs were the most commonly portrayed animal in the ice age rock art of the island, suggesting they have long been valued both as food and a focus of creative thinking and artistic expression.
  • Painted using red ochre pigment, the pig appears to be observing a fight or social interaction between two other warty pigs.
• Previous Oldest Painting :
  
  • The previously oldest dated rock art ‘scene’ at least 43,900 years old, was a depiction of hybrid human-animal beings hunting Sulawesi warty pigs and dwarf bovids.
  • It was discovered by the same research team at a nearby limestone cave site.
• Some of the Caves with Paintings in India:
  
  • Ajanta :
    
    • This cave is located in Aurangabad district of Maharashtra.
    • Famous fresco paintings of Ajanta are dying princesses, flying apsara and preaching Buddha.
  • Ellora :
    
    • It is located in the Aurangabad district of Maharashtra.
    • It is famous for the largest monolithic excavation in the world- the great Kailasa.
  • Elephanta :
    
    • It is located on Elephanta Islands in Mumbai.
    • There are seven cave excavations in the Elephanta group.
  • Bhimbetka :
    
    • It is located between Hoshangabad and Bhopal, in the foothills of the Vindhya Mountains.
    • It has one of the oldest paintings in India and the world.

Source: IE