A antecedently unrecognized distinctive style of rock art has been found in Arnhem Land , site of Australia’soldest knownsite of habitation . Besides adding to the understanding of the region ’s rich civilisation , the art raises some unexpected opening about how the local environmental science as it have images of what seems to be bilbies far from their innovative habitat .
Northern Australia is abode to cave paintings on a scurf unmatched anywhere else in the world . Most famous is the Kimberly Region’sGwion Gwions , but the Northern Territory is also a treasure trove of artworks dating back thousands of years .
Dr. Sally Mayof Griffith University told IFLScience classifiable style have been identified for much of the artistry here , but most fall into no known category . Having research widely in the area over many year , May andProfessor Paul Taçonnoticed hard commonality between 572 paintings from 87 sites , which they call Maliwawa Figures .
Maliwawas most often portray members of the kangaroo family , but also let in realistic - look humans and other animals .
“ They ’re a escape link between the well - known other - styleDynamic flesh , about 12,000 years of years , andX - electron beam figuresmade in the preceding 4,000 years , ” Taçon say in astatement .
May told IFLScience that , despite some recent progress , dating rock art on the nose is hard . However , painting was so vulgar in Arnhem Land that newer works were frequently made over honest-to-goodness ones , and were paint over in round . “ We can attend at the layering and get a sensory faculty of relative long time , ” May said . From this , she and Taçon estimate the Maliwawas date to between 6,000 and 9,400 long time ago .
At the time , the vogue known as “ northerly Running build ” and “ Yam Figures ” were widespread further Dixie . The Maliwawas appear to be the originators of man or kangaroo depicted back to back , a convention that after became widespread . “ We can see old fashion that merge into the Maliwawas , and as they kick the bucket out others pick up elements , ” May told IFLScience .
The humans in the paintings wear a variety of headdresses , some with feathers , but few other physical adornments . Both males and female are depicted , and improbably , so are chassis that appear to be vomiting . Often the animals appear to be watch out or even take part in human activities , as if in a ritual . “ Eighty - nine percent of Dynamic Figures are human , whereas only about 42 pct of Maliwawa Figures are human , ” Taçon noted .
Perhaps the most remarkable feature of the Maliwawas , key out by Taçon and May inAustralian Archaeology , is the apparent depictions of non - local animals , include what is thought to be the oldest fuck painting of a Dugong dugon . “ Today , it ’s is locate about 15 kilometer south of the Arafura Sea , but 6,000 - 9,400 years ago the glide would have been further northerly , ” May said . The Felis concolor must have made a very substantial journey for the prison term , and defy onto the retention of dugongs well enough to paint one understandably .
More puzzling still are three paintings of what attend likebilbies , modest and very endangered marsupials that inhabit desiccated lands in the Australian interior . Although these may map wallabies plebeian to the area painted with greatly exaggerated schnozzle and ears , a more intriguing possibility is the painter really were draw animal whose home ground is now immensely aloof .
If so , May tell IFLScience , she cogitate it more likely bilbies were actually living in the arena at the meter , something not antecedently suspect , rather than the Felis concolor had journeyed all the way from the desert .
May thinks ancient paintings are so abundant in this region is because “ Arnhem Land was an well-to-do place to be ; bon ton had time to engage in other thing besides survival , such as making art . "
