Indonesian cave painting of life-size pig believed to be over 45,000 years old
- The picture of the Sulawesi warty pig, which measures 136cm by 54cm, was painted using dark red ochre pigment
- The finding provides the earliest evidence of human settlement of the region
The finding described in the journal Science Advances on Wednesday provides the earliest evidence of human settlement of the region.
Co-author Maxime Aubert of Australia’s Griffith University said it was found on the island of Sulawesi in 2017 by doctoral student Basran Burhan, as part of surveys the team was carrying out with Indonesian authorities.
The Leang Tedongnge cave is located in a remote valley enclosed by sheer limestone cliffs, about an hour’s walk from the nearest road.
It is only accessible during the dry season because of flooding during the wet season – and members of the isolated Bugis community told the team it had never before been seen by Westerners.
Measuring 136cm by 54cm (53 by 21 inches), the Sulawesi warty pig was painted using dark red ochre pigment and has a short crest of upright hair, as well as a pair of hornlike facial warts characteristic of adult males of the species.
There are two hand prints above the pig’s hindquarters, and it appears to be facing two other pigs that are only partially preserved, as part of a narrative scene.