Recent findings reveal that these stencils are over 15,000 years older than cave paintings in another Sulawesi cave, which were dated in 2024. The painting features three anthropomorphic figures interacting with pigs, believed to be approximately 51,200 years old.

“I thought my previous work was impressive, but this photo completely eclipsed it,” Blum remarked.

“This underscores the long-standing tradition of rock art creation in this region. It spans an incredible timeline,” he emphasized.

Researchers are optimistic about uncovering even older art forms, including narrative art, in Indonesia, a largely unexplored archaeological treasure trove.

Liang Methanduno, a prominent cave art location, attracts tourists. However, most artworks discovered so far, depicting domestic animals like chickens, are relatively recent, estimated to be around 4,000 years old.

In 2015, Indonesian rock art expert and lead author, Adi Octaviana, spotted a faint drawing behind a modern painting, speculating it might be an ancient hand-painted stencil.

“These had never been documented before; their existence was unknown until Addy discovered them,” Blum stated.

Previous generations of researchers exploring Ice Age cave art, dating back 30,000 to 40,000 years in regions like France and Spain, believed it marked the dawn of modern artistic culture.

However, recent discoveries in Indonesia indicate that humans outside Europe were crafting “extraordinarily sophisticated” cave art tens of thousands of years ago, even before our species arrived in that area.

Blum noted that this discovery could also shed light on the timeline of when the first humans settled in Australia.

It is widely accepted that Aboriginal populations have inhabited Australia for at least 50,000 years, though evidence suggests one of the country’s archaeological sites is around 65,000 years old.

“The finding of 67,000 to 68,000-year-old rock art on Sulawesi, nearly adjacent to Australia, supports the theory that modern humans may have arrived in Australia at least 65,000 years ago,” Blum explained.