Australia: Oldest rock art is 17,300-year-old kangaroo
BBC
23rd February, 2021 01:36:21
Australian scientists have discovered the country s oldest known rock art - a 17,300-year-old painting of a kangaroo.
The artwork measuring 2m (6.5ft) was painted in red ochre on the ceiling of a rock shelter.
It was found in Western Australia s Kimberley region, known for its Aboriginal rock paintings.
Its age was determined by radiocarbon-dating ancient mud wasp nests. The findings were published on Tuesday in the journal Nature Human Behaviour.
Researcher Damien Finch, who pioneered the mud wasp dating technique, said it was rare to find mud wasp nests both on top and underneath a single artwork.