An array of prehistoric ornaments and artworks were found in an Indonesian cave. Excavators assume that the site was used by cave artists during the Ice Age. Some of the artworks go back as far as 30.000 years, claim the researchers.
According to The Conversation, researchers have implied to the fact that the spiritual lives of the ancient people during the Ice Age was influenced by their interaction with previously unknown species as they made their journey from Asia to Australia. Some researchers claim that the complex culture found in humans living in Late Pleistocene in due to them spreading from Europe to as far as India. However, a new research in Wallacea, a chain of islands in between Asia and Australia, is challenging that claim.
The new findings of the artifacts in Sulawesi, the largest island in Wallacea, point towards the usage of a number of methods used to make the ornaments from the teeth and bones of primitive pigs and possums. Stone tools having geometric patterns like crosses and leaf-like motifs referring to obscurity were also recovered. Ochre pieces and bone tubes used as air-brush found in the surrounding areas are also claimed to be from the Ice Age.
According to Live Science, the new findings are evidence enough to suggest that the ancient inhabitants of Wallacea during the Ice Age were of creative and artistic nature. The researchers also claim that the diverse aboriginal cultures found in Australia might have their roots in the human journey through Wallacea.
However, another ancient lineage found on the Indonesian island of Flores situated to the south of Sulawesi dubbed "hobbits", is considered not to have any connection with this new discovery that is also found in Indonesia. Researchers look to continue their efforts to collect more evidence on the ancient humans living in the area and to understand their culture.
After the current finding declaring the artwork to be from the Ice Age, the researchers also look for evidence to find out when the modern humans captured Sulawesi for the first time. The findings were published in the journal "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences".
