Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-t5tsf Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-14T11:17:01.921Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The global implications of the early surviving rock art of greater Southeast Asia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 January 2015

Paul S.C. Taçon ,
Noel Hidalgo Tan ,
Sue O’Connor ,
Ji Xueping ,
Li Gang ,
Darren Curnoe ,
David Bulbeck ,
Budianto Hakim ,
Iwan Sumantri  and
Heng Than
...Show all authors
Paul S.C. Taçon
Affiliation:
PERAHU, School of Humanities, Gold Coast campus, Griffith University, Queensland 4222, Australia; (Author for correspondence; Email: [email protected])
Noel Hidalgo Tan
Affiliation:
Archaeology and Natural History, School of Culture, History and Language, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia
Sue O’Connor
Affiliation:
Archaeology and Natural History, School of Culture, History and Language, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia
Ji Xueping
Affiliation:
Yunnan Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, Kunming, Yunnan, 650118, China Yunnan University, Kunming, Yunnan, 650091, China
Li Gang
Affiliation:
Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture Cultural Relics Administration Office, Zhongdian, Yunnan, China
Darren Curnoe
Affiliation:
School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
David Bulbeck
Affiliation:
Archaeology and Natural History, School of Culture, History and Language, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia
Budianto Hakim
Affiliation:
Balai Arkeologi, Makassar, Jalan Pajjaiyang no. 13, Sudiang, Makassar, Sulawesi, Indonesia
Iwan Sumantri
Affiliation:
Archaeology Faculty, Hasanuddin University, Makassar, Sulawesi, Indonesia
Heng Than
Affiliation:
APSARA Authority, Apsara Road, Boeung Don Pa Village, Slakram Commune, Siem Reap, Siem Reap Province, Cambodia
Im Sokrithy
Affiliation:
APSARA Authority, Apsara Road, Boeung Don Pa Village, Slakram Commune, Siem Reap, Siem Reap Province, Cambodia
Stephen Chia
Affiliation:
Centre for Global Archaeological Research, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia
Khuon Khun-Neay
Affiliation:
APSARA Authority, Apsara Road, Boeung Don Pa Village, Slakram Commune, Siem Reap, Siem Reap Province, Cambodia
Soeung Kong
Affiliation:
APSARA Authority, Apsara Road, Boeung Don Pa Village, Slakram Commune, Siem Reap, Siem Reap Province, Cambodia
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The rock art of Southeast Asia has been less thoroughly studied than that of Europe or Australia, and it has generally been considered to be more recent in origin. New dating evidence from Mainland and Island Southeast Asia, however, demonstrates that the earliest motifs (hand stencils and naturalistic animals) are of late Pleistocene age and as early as those of Europe. The similar form of the earliest painted motifs in Europe, Africa and Southeast Asia suggests that they are the product of a shared underlying behaviour, but the difference in context (rockshelters) indicates that experiences in deep caves cannot have been their inspiration.

Keywords

rock arthand stencilspainted cavesrocksheltersanimal motifsuranium-series dating
Type
Research
Information
Antiquity , Volume 88 , Issue 342 , December 2014 , pp. 1050 - 1064
Copyright
Copyright © Antiquity Publications Ltd. 2014

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Aubert, M., O’Connor, S., Mcculloch, M.T., Mortimer, G. & Richer-Lafléche, M.. 2007. Uranium-series dating rock art in East Timor. Journal of Archaeological Science 34: 991–96. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2006.09.017 Google Scholar
Aubert, M., Brumm, A., Ramli, R., Sutikna, T., Sapromo, E.W., Hakim, B., Morwood, M.J., Van Den Berg, G.D., Kinsley, L. & Dosseto, A.. 2014. Pleistocene cave art from Sulawesi, Indonesia. Nature. 514: 223–27. http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature13422 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bahn, P. 1998. Cambridge illustrated history of prehistoric art. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Ballard, C. 1988. Dudumahan: a rock art site on Kai Kecil, S.E. Moluccas. Bulletin of the Indo-Pacific Prehistory Association 8: 139–61. http://dx.doi.org/10.7152/bippa.v8i0.11274 Google Scholar
Bulbeck, D. 2004. Divided in space, united in time: the Holocene prehistory of South Sulawesi. Modern Quaternary Research in Southeast Asia 18: 129–66.Google Scholar
Bulbeck, D. 2008. An integrated perspective on the Austronesian diaspora: the switch from cereal agriculture to maritime foraging in the colonisation of Island Southeast Asia. Australian Archaeology 67: 31–51.Google Scholar
Bulbeck, D., Hiscock, P. & Sumantri, I.. 2004. Leang Sakapao 1, a second dated Pleistocene site from South Sulawesi, Indonesia. Modern Quaternary Research in Southeast Asia 18: 118–28.Google Scholar
Chaloupka, G. 1993. Journey in time. Sydney: Reed.Google Scholar
Clottes, J. & Lewis-Williams, J.D.. 1998. The shamans of prehistory: trance and magic in the painted caves. New York: Harry N. Abrams.Google Scholar
Coulson, D. & Campbell, A.. 2001. African rock art: paintings and engravings on stone. New York: Harry N. Abrams.Google Scholar
Curnoe, D., Ji, X., Herries, A.I.R., Bai, K., Taçon, P.S.C., Bao, Z., Fink, D., Zhu, Y., Hellstrom, J., Luo, Y., Cassis, G., Su, B., Wroe, S., Hong, S., Parr, W.C.H., Huang, S. & Rogers, N.. 2012. Human remains from the Pleistocene–Holocene transition of southwest China suggest a complex evolutionary history for East Asians. PLoS ONE 7(3): e31918. http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0031918 Google Scholar
Datan, I. 1993. The charcoal drawings at Gua Sireh. The Sarawak Museum Journal 45(66): 137–61.Google Scholar
Dobrez, P. 2013. The case for hand stencils and prints as proprio-performative. Arts 2: 273–327. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/arts2040273 Google Scholar
Fage, L.-H. & Chazine, J.-M.. 2009. Bornéo: la m émoire des grottes. Lyon: Fage.Google Scholar
Halverson, J. 1992. The first pictures: perceptual foundations of Paleolithic art. Perception 21: 389–404. http://dx.doi.org/10.1068/p210389 Google Scholar
Harrison, T. 1958a. The caves of Niah: a history of prehistory. The Sarawak Museum Journal 12(8): 549–90.Google Scholar
Harrison, T. 1958b. The great cave, Sarawak. A ship-of-the-dead cult and related rock paintings. The Archaeological News Letter 6(9): 199–203.Google Scholar
Henshilwood, C.S., D’errico, F., Van Niekerk, K.L., Coquinot, Y., Jacobs, Z., Lauritzen, S.-E., Menu, M. & García-Moreno, R.. 2011. A 100,000-year-old ochre-processing workshop at Blombos Cave, South Africa. Science 334: 219–22. http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1211535 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hodgson, D. 2012. Emanations of the mind: Upper Paleolithic art as a visual phenomenon. Time and Mind 5(2): 185–94. http://dx.doi.org/10.2752/175169712X13276628335041 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Huyge, D., Vandenberghe, D.A.G., De Dapper, M., Mees, F., Claes, W. & Darnell, J.C.. 2011. First evidence of Pleistocene rock art in North Africa: securing the age of the Qurta petroglyphs (Egypt) through OSL dating. Antiquity 85: 1184–93.Google Scholar
Khemnak, P. 1996. Prehistoric cave art in Thailand. Bangkok: Fine Arts Department (in Thai).Google Scholar
Le Quellec, J.-L., De Flers, P. & De Flers, P.. 2005. Du Sahara au Nil. Peintures et gravures d’avant les Pharaons. Paris: Fayard/Soleb.Google Scholar
Lewis-Williams, J.D. 2002. Mind in the cave: consciousness and the origins of art. London: Thames & Hudson.Google Scholar
Matthews, J.M. 1959. Rock paintings near Ipoh. Malaya in History 5(2): 22–25.Google Scholar
Matthews, J.M. 1960. A note on the rock paintings recently discovered near Ipoh, Perak. Man 60: 1–3. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/2797896 Google Scholar
O’Connor, S. 2003. Report of nine new painted rock art sites in East Timor in the context of the western Pacific region. Asian Perspectives 42: 96–128. http://dx.doi.org/10.1353/asi.2003.0028 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
O’Connor, S., Alpin, K., Stpierre, E. & Feng, Y.. 2010. Faces of the ancestors revealed: discovery and dating of a Pleistocene-age petroglyph in Lene Hara Cave, East Timor. Antiquity 84: 649–65.Google Scholar
Pike, A.W.G., Hoffman, D.L., García-Diez, M., Pettitt, P.B., Alcolea, J., De Balbín, R., González-Sainz, C., De Las Heras, C., Lasheras, J.A., Montes, R. & Zilhão, J.. 2012. U-series dating of Paleolithic art in 11 caves in Spain. Science 336: 1409–13. http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1219957 Google Scholar
Plagnes, V., Causse, C., Fontugne, M., Valladas, H., Chazine, J.-M. & Fage, L-H.. 2003. Cross dating (Th/U-14C) of calcite covering prehistoric paintings in Borneo. Quaternary Research 60: 172–79. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0033-5894(03)00064-4 Google Scholar
Solheim, W.G. II & Gorman, C.F.. 1964. Archaeological salvage program; northeastern Thailand—first season. Journal of the Siam Society 54(2): 111–210.Google Scholar
Sumantri, I. 1996. Pola pemukiman gua-gua prasejarah di Biraeng Pangkep, Sulawesi Selatan. Unpublished MA dissertation, University of Indonesia, Jakarta.Google Scholar
Szabó, K., Piper, P.J. & Barker, G.. 2008. Sailing between worlds: the symbolism of death in northwest Borneo (Terra Australis 29). Canberra: ANU Epress.Google Scholar
Taçon, P.S.C. 2011. Kulen Mountain rock art: an initial assessment and report to APSARA, Siem Reap, Cambodia. Gold Coast: Griffith University.Google Scholar
Taçon, P.S.C. 2013. Interpreting the in-between: rock art junctions and other small style areas between provinces. Time and Mind 6(1): 73–80. http://dx.doi.org/10.2752/175169713X13500468476682 Google Scholar
Taçon, P.S.C. & Tan, N.H.. 2012. Recent rock art research in Southeast Asia and southern China, in Bahn, P., Franklin, N. & Strecker, M. (ed.) Rock art news of the world 4: 207–14. Oxford: Oxbow.Google Scholar
Taçon, P.S.C., Boivin, N., Hampson, J., Blinkhorn, J., Korisettar, R. & Petraglia, M.. 2010a. New rock art discoveries in the Kurnool District, Andhra Pradesh, India. Antiquity 84: 335–50.Google Scholar
Taçon, P.S.C., Langley, M., May, S.K., Lamilami, R., Brennan, W. & Guse, D.. 2010b. Ancient bird stencils in Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, Australia. Antiquity 84: 416–27.Google Scholar
Taçon, P.S.C., Li, G., Yang, D., May, S.K., Liu, H., Aubert, M., Ji, X., Curnoe, D. & Herries, A.I.R.. 2010c. Naturalism, nature and questions of style in Jinsha River rock art, northwest Yunnan, China. Cambridge Archaeological Journal 20(1): 67–86. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0959774310000053 Google Scholar
Taçon, P.S.C., Sauffi, M.S. & Datan, I.. 2010d. New engravings discovered at Santubong, Sarawak, Malaysia. The Sarawak Museum Journal 67(88): 105–21.Google Scholar
Taçon, P.S.C., Aubert, M., Li, G., Yang, D., Liu, H., May, S.K., Fallon, S., Ji, X., Curnoe, D. & Herries, A.I.R.. 2012. Uranium-series age estimates for rock art in southwest China. Journal of Archaeological Science 39: 492–99. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2011.10.004 Google Scholar
Tan, N.H. 2010. Scientific reinvestigation of the rock art at Gua Tambun, Perak [two volumes]. Unpublished MA dissertation, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang.Google Scholar
Tan, N.H. & Chia, S.. 2010. ‘New’ rock art from Gua Tambun, Perak, Malaysia. Rock Art Research 27(1): 9–18.Google Scholar
Tan, N.H. 2011. Current research on rock art at Gua Tambun, Perak, Malaysia. Bulletin of the Indo-Pacific Prehistory Association 31: 93–108.Google Scholar
Tan, N.H. 2012. Revisiting the rock art at Gua Tambun, Perak, Malaysia, in Tjoa-Bonatz, M.L., Reinecke, A. & Bonatz, D. (ed.) Crossing borders: selected papers from the 13th International Conference of the European Association of Southeast Asian Archaeologists, Volume 1: 181–98. Singapore: NUS Press.Google Scholar
Tan, N.H. & Taçon, P.S.C.. 2014. Rock art and the sacred landscapes of mainland Southeast Asia, in Gillette, D., Murray, B., Greer, M. & Hayward, M. (ed.) Rock art and sacred landscapes: 67–84. New York: Springer.Google Scholar
Thaw, U.A. 1971. The ‘Neolithic’ culture of the Padah-lin Caves. Asian Perspectives 14: 123–33.Google Scholar
Van Heekeren, H.R. 1957. The stone age of Indonesia. The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff.Google Scholar
Van Heekeren, H.R. 1972. The stone age of Indonesia [second edition]. The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff.Google Scholar
Watson, B. 2009. Universal visions: neuroscience and recurrent characteristics of world palaeoart. Unpublished PhD dissertation, University of Melbourne.Google Scholar
Wendt, W.E. 1976. ‘Art mobilier’ from Apollo 11 Cave, south west Africa: Africa’s oldest dated works of art. The South African Archaeological Bulletin 31 (121–122): 5–11. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/3888265 Google Scholar