- Archaeologists discovered a 44,000-year-old mural on the wall of a limestone cave on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi.
- The art shows human-animal hybrids hunting pigs and water buffalo.
- Researchers think the mural is the oldest example of storytelling through pictures in the archaeological record.
- Photos reveal what the cave paintings look like.
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In the Indonesian jungle on the island of Sulawesi, archaeologist and spelunker Pak Hamrullah spotted a gaping hole high above the ground in a wall of limestone two years ago.
He skittered up the rock and poked his head inside.
Further exploration revealed that the hole led to a cave, now known as Leang Bulu' Sipong 4. It had sat hidden and untouched for almost 50,000 years, sheltering rock art painted by ancient human ancestors.
On a 14-foot-long section of the cave wall, a hunting scene is splashed in dark red ochre pigment. Hamrullah could see that the pictures told a story: Eight tiny figures that seemed like human-animal hybrids were shown carrying weapons and chasing pigs and water buffalo.
According to a new study about the mural published in the journal Nature this week, further analysis has revealed that this hunting scene is the oldest of its kind, and the first ever picture human "storybook."
"This elaborate rock art scene, dating back at least 44,000 years, is the earliest pictorial record of storytelling uncovered thus far," Adam Brumm, a co-author of the study, told Business Insider.
Prior to this discovery, the oldest piece of art depicting human hunting was likely a painting on the wall of a French cave that showed a bison chase. It was painted between 19,000 years and 17,000 years ago.
Here's a closer look at the Leang Bulu' Sipong 4 cave's hunting mural.