Archaeologists have found the world’s oldest known rock art in a limestone cave on Muna Island, Indonesia. The faded hand stencil is at least 67,800 years old. It was discovered in the Liang Metanduno cave on Sulawesi, where it had been hidden among newer paintings of animals and figures. "There’s a lot of rock art out there but it’s really difficult to date," said Prof Maxime Aubert from Griffith University. "When you can date it, it opens up a completely different world." The scientists dated tiny calcite layers formed over the hand stencil to find its age. Humans have been painting in that cave for at least 35,000 years. The hand stencil was made by spraying ochre mixed with water over a hand pressed to the wall. Its fingers appear narrow and pointy, likely a deliberate design. Prof Adam Brumm, also from Griffith University, commented, "Whether they resemble animal claws or more fancifully some human-animal creature that doesn’t exist, we don’t know, but there’s some sort of symbolic meaning behind them." This discovery supports the idea that some humans traveled via a northern route through Sulawesi to reach Australia’s northern regions at least 65,000 years ago. The route likely involved island hopping when sea levels were lower. There is debate about who made these ancient artworks. Some experts suggest Neanderthals or the Denisovans, an ancient human group in Asia, could have been involved. Prof Paul Pettitt of Durham University said, "To call this complex is rather over-interpreting the hand stencil... Before writing grand narratives about the complexity and success of Homo sapiens, we really should consider other, potentially more interesting explanations of this fascinating phenomenon." The find highlights a rich prehistoric art history in Sulawesi and offers a unique glimpse into ancient human life and creativity.