4,000-year-old painted stone in Indonesia reveals art carried by ancient Austronesians

A small painted stone found on Indonesia’s Wetar Island is offering archaeologists a glimpse into the symbolic world of ancient seafarers. It dates to about 4,090 to 3,900 years ago and features a red design of concentric circles and radiating sun rays that is linked to the Austronesian Painting Tradition (APT). The discovery is significant because the artwork was mainly known from cave and rockshelter walls. Research published in PNAS titled ‘4000-year-old painted plaque from Southeast Indonesia reveals Austronesian Painting Tradition preceded Neolithic pottery’ provides the earliest known example of the tradition.Researchers say it also changes the picture of what Austronesian voyagers carried as they moved between islands. Their journeys involved more than technologies, possessions and economic practices.