Researchers have discovered cave paintings at least 67,800 years old in Leang Metanduno, Muna Island, Southeast Sulawesi, depicting scenes of riding horses, boats, and group hunting. The find, published in the journal Nature, illustrates ancient maritime culture and human interactions with the environment. A press conference in Jakarta on January 22, 2026, detailed the advanced dating techniques employed.
The field of archaeology has marked a significant milestone from Indonesia with the discovery of the world's oldest rock art, a human hand stencil at least 67,800 years old, at the Leang Metanduno site on Muna Island, Southeast Sulawesi. This finding was published in the journal Nature under the title “Rock art from at least 67,800 years ago in Sulawesi”. Dr Adhi Agus Octavian from BRIN's Center for Archaeometry Research explained that the cave art at this site includes not only hand stencils but also scenes of human interactions with animals, nature, and social activities.
During a press conference at the BJ Habibie Building in Jakarta on Thursday (January 22, 2026), Adhi stated, “In Metanduno, there are not just three hand stencils. Many are covered by coralloid. Interestingly, here emerges a narrative of modern humans with animals and their environment.” The team created a 3D model of the cave to view the panel composition more completely, dominated by Austronesian speaker imagery.
The Metanduno panels depict a younger cultural phase, including seafaring, domestication, and organized hunting. Adhi pointed out large animal figures resembling horses or cows, boat images as evidence of maritime traditions, and hunting scenes. “One of the largest looks like a picture of a horse or large cow. Then there are boat images, these are proofs of maritime culture. There is also domestication and hunting scenes,” he said.
Human figures dominate the panels on the right side of the cave ceiling, with some images covered by coralloid mineral layers and brown color. “There is an image like a chicken, a person riding a horse possibly holding a parang. There is also a black figure there,” Adhi added. He views prehistoric art as a social archive recording human interactions with nature, animals, technology, and others.
Prof Maxime Aubert from Griffith University and Southern Cross University explained the dating method using laser-ablation uranium-series (LA–U-series) on microscopic calcite layers. This involves rainwater deposits containing uranium that decays into thorium. “If the layer is above the painting, it gives us a minimum age,” Maxime said. Small samples about five millimeters were taken without damaging the art, showing a layer aged 71,600 ± 3,800 years, thus a minimum age of 67,800 years for the hand stencil.
This discovery strengthens Indonesia's position as the location of the world's oldest rock art and a key space in the narrative of human civilization in the Asia-Pacific. “Here we see not just hand stencils, but stories of seafaring, hunting, domestication, and modern human life in the Nusantara,” Adhi stated.
