Kangaroo Painting Thought to be 17,300 Years Old

HeritageDaily ^ | February 23, 2021 | University of Melbourne

[SunkenCiv]

Using the radiocarbon dating of 27 mud wasp nests, collected from over and under 16 similar paintings, a University of Melbourne collaboration has put the painting at 17,500 and 17,100 years old. “This makes the painting Australia’s oldest known in-situ painting,” said Postdoctoral Researcher Dr Damien Finch who pioneered the exciting new radiocarbon technique. “This is a significant find as through these initial estimates, we can understand something of the world these ancient artists lived in. We can never know what was in the mind of the artist when he/she painted this piece of work more than 600 generations ago, but we do know that the Naturalistic period extended back into the Last Ice Age, so the environment was cooler and dryer than today.”

[SunkenCiv]

Peter Veth and the Balanggarra Aboriginal Corporation, Illustration: Pauline Heaney

[dangus]

That’s a talented kangaroo!

[SunkenCiv]

Yes, radiocarbon dating is valid, no it's not ineffective before 4004 BC.

[Libloather]

Looks like a Nadler mugshot.

[GreyFriar]

quite the down fall from Kangaroos being able to paint in ancient times to only learning how to box in modern times.

[nickcarraway]

I thought they didn’t invent the Kangaroo until the 1700s?

[Track9]

Mud wasps and Australia go together great.

[fhayek]

Well, tie me kangaroo down!

[SunkenCiv]

It’s not well known, possibly because I just made it up, but kangaroos invented that wedding reception favorite, the bunny hop.

[aMorePerfectUnion]

Fun fact: you can hunt kangaroos in Oz

[SunkenCiv]

Sure, but how would aim the house?

[Repeal The 17th]

Definitely a male kangaroo.
No pouch is depicted, but a pecker is.
(male kangaroos have no pouch)

[BykrBayb]

That takes real skill. Most folks just throw water on them.

[deport]

What are the ingredients of that 13,000 year old paint?
Today’s paint won’t last but a few years.

[Seruzawa]

But even more strange is the drawing on the wall of Joe Xiden sniffing the Kangaroo’s back.

[Seruzawa]

A lot of things go together with Australia. All of them deadly.

[marktwain]

Fun fact: you can hunt kangaroos in Oz

You can, but the legal limitations are many!

[SunkenCiv]

:^D

[SunkenCiv]

[cornfedcowboy]

I’ve eaten kangaroo meat. It’s terrible.