Researchers in Australia have discovered a kangaroo painting created over 17,000 years ago by Aboriginal artists has been identified with a little help from some ancient wasps as Australia's oldest intact rock art.
The two-metre-long (six-feet) artwork on the sloped ceiling of a rock shelter in Western Australia's Kimberley region was painted in an early naturalistic style, which often features life-sized renderings of animals, according to research published Monday.
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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.