Ancient Art

January 26, 2026

World’s Oldest Known Cave Art Discovered in Indonesian Cave

Some 67,800 years ago, ancient humans slipped inside a limestone cave in Indonesia and stenciled their hands on the wall—at least that’s what a groundbreaking new study suggests. Recently published in Nature, the article claims that the hand print, which was uncovered on Muna Island in southeastern Sulawesi, is the world’s oldest known cave art. Sulawesi is home to several caves full of ancient cave art.

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June 9, 2025

The Metropolitan Museum of Art Returns Three Ancient Sculptures to Iraq

Three ancient artifacts in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collections are on their way back home. After extensive provenance research by scholars, a Sumerian vessel made of gypsum alabaster and two Babylonian ceramic sculptures will be returned to Iraq. This announcement follows the launch of The Met's Cultural Property Initiative, which involves focused research into the history of items in the collection.

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November 2, 2024

Explore the Ancient “Cave of Swimmers” in the Sahara Desert

The Sahara is known for being the largest desert in the world, stretching thousands of miles across the northern African continent. Touching the Mediterranean, the Atlantic, and the Red Sea, this vast expanse of sand and rock is in sharp contrast to its bordering waters. But the geological history of the region is quite different than its dusty, dry present.

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June 30, 2024

Volunteers Uncover 3,500-Year-Old Rock Art During Environmental Cleanup in Kazakhstan

Cleaning campaigns are good news for the environment. But thanks to one of such missions in Kazakhstan, fans of archeology also have something to be excited about. During a cleanup in the the Zhambyl (or Jambyl) region, volunteers came across about 100 petroglyphs, dating back to the Bronze or Iron ages, roughly 3,500 years ago. After the rock art was spotted, local archeologists were brought in to examine them.

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