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World's Oldest Cave Art

  • 15 Jan 2021
  • 3 min read

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

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