It is the oldest rock figure on Australian soil
LONDON (EFE) .— The figure of a two-meter kangaroo was identified as the oldest intact cave painting in Australia. It is estimated to be 17,300 years old.
According to the journal “Nature Human Behavior”, the painting was found in the Kimberley region, Western Australia. Its approximate age could be established from radiocarbon dating, say researchers at the University of Melbourne.
“This makes it the oldest known in-situ painting in Australia,” says Damien Finch.
“This is a significant finding, since through these initial calculations we can understand something of the world in which ancient artists lived,” he says.
The research at Kimberley is part of a project focusing on Australian rock art, led by Professor Andy Gleadow of the University of Melbourne and in collaboration with the University of Western Australia and the country’s National Science and Technology Organization.
Rock shelter
The kangaroo is painted on the sloping roof of a rock shelter on the Unghango clan estate. “This iconic image is visually similar to island rock paintings in Southeast Asia dated more than 40,000 years ago, suggesting a cultural link and hinting at even older rock art in Australia,” says Sven Ouzman of the School of Social Sciences from the University of Western Australia and one of the project experts.
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