Ancient people learned to draw much earlier than previously thought: scientists find evidence (photo)

On the rocks of the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, archaeologists have discovered the oldest known cave painting that tells a story. This work of art, which is staggeringly old at 51,200 years, challenges our understanding of human creativity and the development of narrative art.

The drawing, which depicts three humanoid figures interacting with a wild pig, is part of a larger collection of images found in karst caves in South Sulawesi, IFLScience writes.

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Scientists believe that this "mysterious scene" may represent a story about a hunt, making it the oldest example of narrative art ever reported.

"It's not just a depiction of people or animals," says Professor Adam Brumm of Griffith University, one of the study's authors. "It's a complex composition that tells a story. The artist has skillfully arranged the figures and depicted their interactions so that the viewer can imagine what is happening."

The study, published in the journal Nature, notes that this invention has great significance for our understanding of human evolution. It shows that humans are capable of creating complex works of art and storytelling much earlier than previously thought.

Until now, the oldest known figurative cave art was considered to be images from Spain, which are about 40,000 years old.

Scientists believe that the island was a favorable environment for the development of human creativity due to its rich resources and isolated geographical location.

"It is likely that similar works of art were created elsewhere in the world at this time or even earlier," says Professor Brumm. "But the evidence has either not survived or has not yet been discovered."

Earlier, we told you that scientists have discovered unusual remains of a creature that is more than 500 million years old.

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