Sulawesi Cave Holds World's Oldest Hand Stencil Art

From the walls of a tourist cave on Muna Island, Southeast Sulawesi, a joint Indonesia-Australia research team has uncovered the world’s oldest hand stencil art. The world’s oldest hand stencil art, dated to 67,800 years, is located at Liang Metanduno on Muna Island, Southeast Sulawesi, and has been recognised by Guinness World Records as the oldest non-figurative art on Tuesday, 19 May 2026. Dr Adhi Agus Oktaviana, a BRIN researcher, said: “As a researcher, I am extremely proud that our archaeological findings have been recognised not only by Indonesia’s national archaeological community but also internationally, including by Guinness World Records as the Oldest Non-Figurative Art.” Liang Metanduno, the site of the world’s oldest hand stencil art, is currently being recommended for national cultural heritage status. Therefore, Adhi believes tourism management in the area needs to be tightened to ensure visitor safety. The young researcher also stressed that visitors must avoid sweating and smoking inside the cave to maintain stable conditions. Tourism management at Gua Metanduno or Liang Metanduno currently involves trained guides to accompany visitors. The research was published in Nature in January 2026, following its commencement in 2012. To determine the minimum age of the art, researchers used laser-ablation uranium-series (LA–U-series) dating on microscopic calcite layers covering the cave paintings. “So we scrape a small sample into powder, then apply chemical treatment to measure the uranium series,” explained Adhi.