The Oldest Recorded Hunting Story in Indonesia

Here’s a story for you: the oldest recorded story we know of, in fact. This smudgy cave painting made international headlines last December when scientists in Indonesia reported the discovery of a panel measuring about 14 feet depicting a hunting narrative — this picture is a detail. Dating the mineral deposits atop the pictures, which formed years after, scientists believe the artwork to be over 43,900 years old. Moreover, the scene appears to have humans with some non-human animal qualities, like beaks — such creatures are called “therianthropes,” and give the earliest evidence for imagining something, rather than tracing shapes or recording literal scenes. The first therianthrope had earlier been identified as the “Lion-man” or “Lowenmensch” from a cave in Germany (see second image) but that figure is “only” 35,000-40,000 years old. Inventing fantastical creatures is something only humans (so far) have been shown to be able to do, so these Indonesian cave paintings are a snapshot of a great cognitive leap by our forebearers.