Archaeologists Discover the World’s Oldest Paintings—Made Long Before Humans Existed, and Eerily Sophisticated

By Kenza Ould Djoudi – IDR

Ancient cave paintings dating back 65,000 years are turning human history on its head. Found in remote caves across four continents, these artworks suggest a shocking origin—and they weren’t made by who you think.

A series of newly analyzed cave paintings—some dated to 65,000 years ago—are forcing archaeologists to reexamine long-standing assumptions about the origins of symbolic behavior and who first practiced it. Found in hidden caves across Europe, Southeast Asia, Africa, and Australia, the artwork may predate the arrival of Homo sapiens in these regions by tens of thousands of years.