The world's oldest cave paintings in Indonesia under threat of wildfires
Near the Maros-Pangkep cave, firefighters worked to put out fires as smoke drifted over the dramatic karst landscape that is a defining feature of the national park and UNESCO Global Geopark surrounding the cave.
Wildfires in Indonesia threaten the world's oldest cave paintings on Sulawesi. Researchers warn that heat and smoke could accelerate the deterioration of the 67,000-year-old art, located in limestone caves. The Maros-Pangkep cave, near where firefighters battled intense fires, holds a human-like artwork estimated to be 51,200 years old.
Another cave on Muna Island features a reddish hand stencil dated to at least 67,800 years. In South Sulawesi, over 270 hectares of the national park burned between September 30 and October 18, with fires coming within 800 meters of the cave. Griffith University archaeologist Basran Burhan explains that heat alone can harm the paintings by altering the temperature and accelerating corrosion.
Firefighters continue their efforts to control the flames, hoping to prevent the loss of this invaluable historical evidence.
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- The world’s oldest cave paintings in Indonesia under threat of wildfires freemalaysiatoday.com
