Archaeologists discover oldest cave painting to tell a story. Here's what it depicts

The intricate hunting scene details human-like figures pursuing a buffalo.

December 12, 2019, 11:21 AM

Archaeologists have discovered what they say is the earliest figurative painting known to man, in a cave in Indonesia.

It depicts an intricate hunting scene, scholars believe, in which eight small, human-like figures pursue an anoa, a type of buffalo found in Indonesia.

PHOTO: A hunting scene panorama of a cave painting found on the island of Sulawesi, Indonesia was released Dec. 12, 2019. The scene is at least 44,000-years-old  and appears to be the earliest known pictorial record of story-telling.
A hunting scene panorama of a cave painting found on the island of Sulawesi, Indonesia was released Dec. 12, 2019. The scene is at least 44,000-years-old and appears to be the earliest known pictorial record of story-telling.
Griffith University/EPA via Shutterstock

The humans have animal features, like snouts and tails, and appear to be wielding thin objects that scholars are interpreting as spears or ropes.

PHOTO:This handout photographreleased by Griffith University, Dec. 11, 2019, shows cave art inside Bulu Sipong 4, Sulawesi, Indonesia. The image depicts a hunting scene painted 44,000 years ago, the oldest known to date.
This handout photographreleased by Griffith University, Dec. 11, 2019, shows cave art inside Bulu Sipong 4, Sulawesi, Indonesia. The image depicts a hunting scene painted 44,000 years ago, the oldest known to date.
Ratno Sardi/Griffith University/AFP/Getty Images

After testing the painting using uranium analysis, scientists determined it to be 44,000 years old. The findings were published this week in the journal Nature.

PHOTO:This handout photographreleased by Griffith University, Dec. 11, 2019, shows cave art inside Bulu Sipong 4, Sulawesi, Indonesia. The image depicts a hunting scene painted 44,000 years ago, the oldest known to date.
This handout photographreleased by Griffith University, Dec. 11, 2019, shows cave art inside Bulu Sipong 4, Sulawesi, Indonesia. The image depicts a hunting scene painted 44,000 years ago, the oldest known to date.
Ratno Sardi/Griffith University/AFP/Getty Images

While the painting is believed to be the earliest to depict a scene, it's not the earliest drawing on record. That honor goes to an abstract drawing found in a cave in South Africa in 2018 that is believed to be 73,000 years old.

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