arts
Published 13th January 2021
Credit: Maxime Aubert
A warty pig painted on a cave wall 45,500 years ago is the world s oldest depiction of an animal
The world s oldest known figurative artwork has been discovered in a cave in Indonesia an endearing image of a warty pig.
Archaeologists working on the site on the island of Sulawesi said the cave art was at least 45,500 years old. It is also thought to be the oldest surviving image of an animal. Painted using red ocher pigment, the animal appears to be observing a fight or social interaction between two other warty pigs.