The kangaroo painting, shown alongside an illustration giving a clear view of the lines drawn by the artist, is Australia’s oldest known rock art. (Nature Human Behavior)

Researchers have discovered that a six-foot-long painting of a kangaroo on the ceiling of a rock shelter was created between 17,500 and 17,100 years ago, making it Australia’s oldest known intact rock art. While the images had been known to researchers since the 1990s (and likely known for far longer to Aboriginal populations), their age had been unknown due to the limitations of dating rock art.

The researchers, who published their work in the journal Nature Human Behaviour, however, were able to date the paintings by using an innovative technique that relied on wasp nests. Because mud wasps have inhabited the cave for tens of thousands of years, the team was able to use radiocarbon dating to determine the age of 27 nests found beneath and atop 16 of the paintings. Jessie Yeung reports for CNN that the ancient nests contained charcoal from bushfires, as well as fragments of plant and animal material, all of which contain carbon that could be dated. Because the large kangaroo had nests both above and below it, it was possible to figure out a fairly specific range of dates when it could have been produced.

The researchers, who published their work in the journal Nature Human Behaviour, however, were able to date the paintings by using an innovative technique that relied on wasp nests. Because mud wasps have inhabited the cave for tens of thousands of years, the team was able to use radiocarbon dating to determine the age of 27 nests found beneath and atop 16 of the paintings. Jessie Yeung reports for CNN that the ancient nests contained charcoal from bushfires, as well as fragments of plant and animal material, all of which contain carbon that could be dated. Because the large kangaroo had nests both above and below it, it was possible to figure out a fairly specific range of dates when it could have been produced.[…]

Traditional Owner Ian Waina observes a different painting of a kangaroo dated to at least 12,700 years ago. (Photo: Peter Veth and the Balanggarra Aboriginal Corporation, Illustration: Pauline Heaney)

Continue reading: 17,000-Year-Old Kangaroo Painting Is Oldest-Known Australian Rock Art