Paintings and carvings from Africa, Asia, Australia, South America, and Europe showcase some of the earliest prehistoric art yet discovered.
51,000-Year-Old Cave Art in Indonesia Is the World’s Oldest Figurative Art - Researchers believe that they found the oldest example of figurative rock art in a cave on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. The cave art depicting three humans and a pig was painted at least 51,200 years ago. That is 5,000 years earlier than another image found on a different island in Indonesia (below).
Dances with Zigzags: Geometric Petroglyphs as (Possible) Embodiments of Songs - In the Peruvian desert, pre-Columbian rock engravings at Toro Muerto depict dancing human figures with countless zig-zags and squiggles. Researchers suggest that these petroglyphic images represent music and dance during religious ceremonies.
Australia’s Oldest Known Rock Art is a 17,300-Year-Old Kangaroo Painting - Australia is famous for its kangaroos and researchers found a 17,300-year-old painting of a kangaroo in a rock shelter in a place known for prolific rock art spanning thousands of years.
Humanity's Earliest Drawing Found in South Africa - It may be very simple, but the criss-crossed pattern on the chunk of rock below is the earliest known drawing in the world. It was created about 73,000 years ago.
The Earliest Neanderthal Engravings Are 57,000 Years Old - Long before modern humans--Homo sapiens--first arrived in Europe, the continent was home to the Neanderthals, who created Europe's earliest cave art.
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