Texas Archaeologists Discover Ancient King’s Tomb in Belize

Arlen Chase and Diane Chase, archaeologists from Texas, have recently unearthed a 4th-century tomb belonging to Te Kabu Chaak, an early ruler of the significant Mayan city of Caracol, located in Belize.

In another remarkable find, cave art dating back around 68,000 years has been identified in Indonesia. This discovery is notable for being one of the earliest forms of human artistic expression.

The ancient rock art was found in a cave on Sulawesi, an island in central Indonesia, northeast of the more well-known Java and Bali.

Images captured during the discovery feature reddish-brown handprints alongside elongated or slightly pointed fingerprints on the walls.

The prints were made by spraying pigments while a hand was pressed against the cave surface, with some fingerprints deliberately altered.

Researchers argue that these cave paintings may represent the “earliest archaeological evidence of human presence” ever found in Indonesia’s Wallasia region. The study’s results were recently published in the journal Nature.

Maxime Aubert, an archaeologist involved in the study from Griffith University in Australia, mentioned that the stencils could indicate a rich rock art tradition that might have existed among various ancient cultures.

Interestingly, the identity of the artists remains uncertain. One theory suggests that the creators could be Denisovans, an extinct species of early humans known to inhabit the region, who might have interacted with early Homo sapiens.

Conversely, it is also plausible that modern humans, whose ancestors migrated from Africa via the Middle East to Indonesia, were responsible for the prints.

Aubert expressed excitement about the discovery, emphasizing that it opens up further avenues for exploration rather than closing the case. “This discovery is not the end of the story; it is an invitation to continue exploring,” he said.

Genevieve von Petzinger, a paleoanthropologist who was not part of the research, shared her enthusiasm with The Associated Press, exclaiming that she “let out a little cry of joy” upon seeing the findings. “It’s everything I thought it would be,” she added.

The exploration of ancient human creativity continues, as researchers plan to look for more examples of early art in the area.

In a related impressive discovery, the world’s oldest known poisoned arrowhead was also identified and dates back about 60,000 years. Additionally, evidence of the oldest recorded instance of humans intentionally starting fire, approximately 400,000 years old, was published last month.