Cave Stencils

Cave paintings found in Maros on the Indonesian Island of Sulawesi have rocked the notion that art began in the caves of Western Europe. This Hand Stencil - one of many recently discovered - is 40,000 years old. Australian and Indonesian scientists have dated these cave paintings by means of layers of stalactite-like growths that have formed over some of them. The human hands and arms look skinny, because no matter how hard they were pressed against the cave wall the paint blown around them would curve beneath slightly. Human figures and pictures of wild hoofed animals found only on Sulawesi have also been discovered. CLICK for more information.