4 May 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Climate Change Negatively Impacts 45 000-year-old Cave Paintings in Indonesia

Cave paintings from 20,000 to 50,000 years ago in Indonesia are in danger of extinction due to climate change.

Indonesia is expected to see a temperature rise of around 0.8°C as a result of climate change by 2030. Furthermore, rainfall trends are expected to change, with the rainy season ending sooner and the duration of the rainy season shortening.

According to the report, which covered the last four centuries, degradation has intensified over the past four decades as increased greenhouse gas pollution from human activity changed the world’s atmosphere, especially in the tropics. A rise in global surface temperatures of 1.5 to 2 degrees Celsius by the end of the century—scientists’ ambitious scenario for global warming—would have serious consequences for the survival of rock art.

These changes seem to be both economically challenging and culturally upsetting.

Researchers led by archaeologist Jillian Huntley said in a paper published in Nature on Thursday that seasonal rainfall, combined with the drought, is threatening the survival of cave art in the Maros-Pangkep site on the island of Sulawesi. The region is home to the oldest recorded hand stencil as well as the probably earliest narrative scene in prehistoric history.

“In almost all sites containing early art, the hand stencils and figurative motifs are heavily affected by exfoliation of the limestone cave wall and ceiling surfaces that comprise the artists’ ‘canvas,’” the authors wrote. “A mounting body of quantitative and anecdotal evidence suggests that the rate of exfoliation is increasing.”

The paintings in Leang Tedongnge cave depict the Sulawesi warty pig, a species commonly featured in Indonesian rock art.
The paintings in Leang Tedongnge cave depict the Sulawesi warty pig, a species commonly featured in Indonesian rock art.

If the atmosphere heats and cools, the crystal salts on the rocks extend and compress, putting pressure on the paintings. That pressure can cause cracks or even lift flakes, separating them from the surface, a phenomenon known as exfoliation. The artworks’ deterioration is exacerbated by their location in the Australasian monsoon domain, the world’s most atmospherically volatile area.

The preservation of paintings discovered in the Maros-Pangkep region in the 1950s is of paramount importance as it is one of the oldest testimonies of prehistoric art in the world. With more than 300 caves discovered so far and new caves discovered every year, it rivals the ice age cave art in Western Europe.

It constitutes a “unique and irreplaceable record of early human artistic culture in a little-understood region,” the researchers said.

Earlier works are mulberry and red hand stencils of mostly wildlife, while more recent work is in black charcoal and contains brief depictions of human beings, domesticated animals like dogs, geometric and abstract symbols. One scene seems to depict many human figures drawing various creatures toward a waiting hunter, which historians claim is the earliest record of hunting strategy.

Source: Bnnbloomberg

Cover Photo: Figurative imagery found in a cave in Indonesia has been dated to 43,900 years ago, which is significantly older than comparable art from Europe. Photo: Adhi Agus Oktaviana

Related Articles

Excavation of Carlisle Roman bathhouse uncovers a connection between the site and a third-century Roman emperor

27 September 2021

27 September 2021

Excavation of a Roman bath at the Carlisle Cricket Club in Stanwix, part of the Uncovering Roman Carlisle project, has...

Archaeologists Discovered One of the Earliest Christian Buildings in Bahrain

14 July 2024

14 July 2024

Archaeologists have uncovered one of the earliest known Christian buildings in the Arabian Gulf, located in Samahij, Bahrain, and providing...

2500 Years of Animal Love in Termessos Ancient City

8 February 2021

8 February 2021

We are witnessing more and more of the unscrupulousness, cruelty and torture inflicted on our animal friends every day.These news...

Unveiling a Roman Settlement Beyond the Empire: New Discoveries in Delbrück-Bentfeld, Germany

6 April 2025

6 April 2025

Recent archaeological excavations in Delbrück-Bentfeld, located in northwestern Germany, have revealed significant evidence of a Roman settlement that existed beyond...

Stone Age Architectural Marvel Unveiled Deep in the Baltic Sea: It may be one of the largest known Stone Age structures in Europe

13 February 2024

13 February 2024

Hiding deep beneath the Baltic Sea, an architectural wonder of the Stone Age has been discovered by researchers. This megastructure,...

Gold coin hoard discovered in a cup beneath a North Yorkshire kitchen floor is being auctioned off

7 September 2022

7 September 2022

A couple in North Yorkshire found an early 18th-century gold coin hoard buried under the floorboards of their kitchen. The...

The Largest Circular Tomb of the Ancient World Is Opening

16 February 2021

16 February 2021

The restoration of Augustus’ colossal tomb, which is expected to be opened in 2014, has been completed. The Augustus mausoleum...

3,700-Year-Old Bronze Age Ceremonial Site Discovered in Derbyshire, in Northern England

23 March 2025

23 March 2025

In a remarkable revelation, archaeologists have uncovered that the Farley Moor stone, previously thought to be a solitary monument, is...

2,000-year-old graves found in ancient necropolis beneath Paris Train Station

24 April 2023

24 April 2023

Archaeologists have discovered 50 tombs in an ancient necropolis just meters from a busy train station in central Paris, and...

Excavation of the Temple of Athena Began in the Ancient City of Aigai

15 October 2021

15 October 2021

The foundations of the Temple of Athena were unearthed during the ongoing excavations in the ancient city of Aigai, located...

As a result of an operation in western Turkey, 4 skulls belonging to the Jivaro tribe of South American origin were seized

14 December 2021

14 December 2021

In the operation held in the Aliağa district of İzmir, 400 historical artifacts belonging to various periods were seized, including...

Electoral inscriptions just discovered in Pompeii reveal clientelism in ancient Rome

29 September 2023

29 September 2023

Several electoral inscriptions, the ancient equivalent of today’s electoral posters and pamphlets, have appeared on the walls of the room...

When the waters receded, the mounds of Pulur Sakyol and Yeniköy, bearing the traces of Kura-Aras Culture, came to light

8 December 2021

8 December 2021

The important cultural areas of Pulur Sakyol and Yeniköy mounds, which bear the traces of Kura-Aras Culture, represented by kurgans...

In Turkey’s Zerzevan Castle, a badge bearing the US national symbol was discovered

4 October 2021

4 October 2021

Recent investigations have led to the discovery of a badge bearing the pattern of the Great Seal of the United...

A Rare Bilingual Inscription Discovered in Saudi Arabia’s Tabuk Province

28 June 2024

28 June 2024

Saudi Arabia’s Heritage Commission announced the discovery of a rare bilingual inscription in the village of Alqan in the Tabuk...