Muna Island

Muna Island is an island in southeastern Sulawesi, Indonesia. It has recently become newsworthy due to the discovery of what is believed to be the world's oldest known rock art within its limestone caves. Specifically, a hand stencil found in Metanduno cave has been dated to at least 67,800 years ago. This discovery is significant because it challenges previous assumptions that artistic expression originated primarily in Ice Age Europe. The handprint, previously unnoticed amongst more recent cave paintings, was analyzed by Indonesian and Australian researchers. This finding positions Indonesia and the surrounding region as a crucial area for understanding the early development of human artistic capabilities and pushes back the timeline for the emergence of art by tens of thousands of years. The cave is a popular tourist destination.