Narrative cave art in Indonesia by 51,200 years ago

The study addresses the challenge of accurately dating prehistoric rock art to illuminate the emergence and development of representational imagery and narrative scene-making in early Homo sapiens. Prior work using solution-based U-series dating of calcite accretions over paintings in South Sulawesi (Maros-Pangkep) established some of the oldest known rock art, including a 45.5 ka pig and a 43.9 ka hunting scene. However, solution methods can average mixed-age carbonate in complex coralloid speleothems and be affected by diagenesis, potentially biasing ages. By applying laser-ablation U-series (LA-U-series) imaging, the authors aim to obtain more spatially precise ages for calcite directly adjacent to pigment layers and to re-evaluate the antiquity of key figurative and narrative compositions. The purpose is to refine the chronology of early figurative art and assess implications for the origins of visual storytelling, challenging Eurocentric timelines that place frequent anthropomorphic depictions and narrative scenes late in the Pleistocene.

Solution U-series dating of carbonate crusts over rock art has produced early ages in Western Europe, Island Southeast Asia, and Russia. A Spanish hand stencil dated to ≥64.8 ka (attributed to Neanderthals) using solution U-series remains controversial, with critiques questioning detrital corrections and open-system behavior. In Sulawesi, the oldest widely accepted figurative painting (a Sulawesi warty pig at Leang Tedongnge) was dated to ≥45.5 ka using solution U-series. Earlier African evidence for image-making (∼100–75 ka) comprises non-representational engraved ochres with geometric motifs. Collectively, prior work highlights both the promise and limitations of solution-based U-series for thin, complex carbonates common in Indonesian karsts, motivating higher-resolution methods.

The study applies laser-ablation U-series (LA-U-series) imaging to polished cross-sections of thin calcite accretions (notably coralloid speleothems) directly overlying pigments. Unlike solution-based microexcavation of arbitrary layers with subsequent MC-ICP-MS analysis, LA-U-series focuses a small-diameter laser (∼44 µm spots) to raster across the section, acquiring spatially resolved 230Th/238U and related isotope activity ratio maps via LA-MC-ICP-MS. Advantages include: minimal sampling and no chemical preparation; high spatial resolution that reveals complex growth histories; the ability to target carbonate closest to pigment for older minimum ages; and identification/avoidance of zones affected by diagenesis or high detrital input (e.g., via elevated 232Th). Parameters optimized for precision included a 44 µm spot size, raster speed of 21 µm s−1, and a 2.097 s integration time, trading longer acquisition times for reduced uncertainty. The team re-dated previously sampled coralloid speleothems at Leang Bulu’ Sipong 4 and dated new samples at Leang Karampuang, integrating only isotopically and petrographically suitable regions of interest to compute ages. Minimum ages for artworks are constrained by the oldest calcite directly overlying pigment.

• Re-dating Leang Bulu’ Sipong 4 (LBS4) hunting/narrative panel: Previous minimum ages (solution U-series) for coralloids over figures were 35.1 ka (35.7 ± 0.6 ka; BSP4.2), 43.9 ka (44.4 ± 0.5 ka; BSP4.3), 40.9 ka (41.1 ± 0.2 ka; BSP4.4), and 41.0 ka (41.3 ± 0.4 ka; BSP4.5). LA-U-series results for the same features yielded minimum ages of 27.6 ka (28.3 ± 0.6 ka; BSP4.2), 39.6 ka (43.2 ± 3.6 ka; BSP4.3), 39.5 ka (40.4 ± 0.9 ka; BSP4.4), and 48.0 ka (51.2 ± 2.2 ka; BSP4.5). Overall, the panel is at least 48 ka, making it ≥4.0 kyr older than previously established for this scene.
• Dating Leang Karampuang narrative scene: Four coralloids directly over pigment were dated. Minimum ages and corresponding LA-U-series results are: LK1 over human-like figure H2: 51.2 ka (53.5 ± 2.3 ka); LK2 over H3: 18.7 ka (19.2 ± 0.5 ka); LK3 over the pig: 31.9 ka (34.1 ± 2.2 ka); LK4 over H1: 44.0 ka (45.9 ± 1.9 ka). The scene was present by at least 51.2 ka, when LK1 began forming.
• Earliest representational art and visual storytelling: The Leang Karampuang composition, depicting human-like figures interacting with a pig, is now the earliest known surviving example of representational art and narrative scene-making, at least 51.2 ka old.
• Methodological advances: LA-U-series mapping enables avoidance of diagenetically altered or detrital-rich microzones (reflected in higher 230Th/232Th in selected ROIs), improving accuracy of minimum ages for thin, complex carbonates compared with solution-based approaches.

The refined chronology indicates that figurative depiction and narrative scene-making in Sulawesi date to ≥51.2 ka, pushing back the timeline for representational art and suggesting a deeper origin of these behaviors in modern humans than previously recognized. The LBS4 panel’s revised minimum age (≥48 ka) and the Karampuang scene (≥51.2 ka) show that anthropomorphic figures interacting with animals and composed multi-figure scenes occurred early in Island Southeast Asia. These findings challenge two prevalent assumptions derived from the European Upper Paleolithic record: that human-like figure depictions became common only late in the Pleistocene and that early cave art rarely included narrative compositions. The recurrence of scene-making across multiple Sulawesi panels (e.g., Leang Karampuang, LBS4, Leang Tedongnge, and conventions like ground lines at Leang Timpuseng) implies an early, rich storytelling culture in the region. The communicative power of scenes—capable of transmitting narratives such as myths independent of the artist’s presence—may have been an important facet of early human symbolic behavior, with Southeast Asia providing key evidence for its antiquity.

Applying LA-U-series imaging to calcite accretions over cave paintings in Sulawesi yields older and more reliable minimum ages than previous solution-based methods for thin, complex carbonates. The re-dated LBS4 panel is at least 48 ka, and the newly dated Leang Karampuang scene is at least 51.2 ka, establishing the earliest known representational art and visual storytelling. These results push back the origins of figurative depiction and narrative scene-making in Homo sapiens and challenge Eurocentric models of their emergence. Future work should extend LA-U-series mapping to additional Sulawesi sites and other regions, re-date key panels (including those lacking remaining carbonate by identifying alternative datable accretions), further refine analytical parameters to reduce uncertainties, and integrate archaeological context to explore how early storytelling practices relate to social and cognitive evolution.

• Minimum-age constraint: U-series dating of overlying calcite provides minimum ages; the paintings could be older.
• Sample availability and preservation: Some key panels (e.g., Leang Tedongnge) lacked remaining carbonate for re-dating; exfoliation and speleothem overgrowth obscure imagery at Leang Karampuang.
• Carbonate complexity and diagenesis: Coralloid speleothems have intricate growth histories with potential diagenetic alteration and detrital contamination; while LA mapping helps avoid affected zones, open-system behavior can still complicate interpretations.
• Precision trade-offs: LA-U-series generally yields larger analytical uncertainties than solution-based methods; improving precision increases analysis time.
• Generalizability: Results pertain to specific sites in Maros-Pangkep; broader regional patterns require additional dated panels.