Wildfires threaten Sulawesi cave paintings dating 67,800 years ago.
Reuters, Bangkok Post, South China Morning Post, The Straits Times, The Independent and Channel News Asia
Key points
From 2 outlets- Sulawesi hosts some of the world’s oldest cave paintings, dating to at least 67,800 years. SourceSouth China Morning PostHong KongOwner: Alibaba GroupLeanCenterCredibilityRatings: AllSides, MBFCRead at South China Morning Post
- Indonesia’s worst wildfires in over a decade, driven by El Niño, threaten the artworks. SourceSouth China Morning PostHong KongOwner: Alibaba GroupLeanCenterCredibilityRatings: AllSides, MBFCRead at South China Morning Post
- Firefighters reported fires near the Maros-Pangkep site and 800 metres from the cave. SourceSouth China Morning PostHong KongOwner: Alibaba GroupLeanCenterCredibilityRatings: AllSides, MBFCRead at South China Morning Post
- Over 270 hectares of the national park burned between Sept 30 and Oct 18. SourceSouth China Morning PostHong KongOwner: Alibaba GroupLeanCenterCredibilityRatings: AllSides, MBFCRead at South China Morning PostSourceChannel News AsiaSingaporeLeanUnratedCredibilityUnratedRead at Channel News Asia
- Experts warn heat and smoke can accelerate deterioration and obscure the paintings. SourceSouth China Morning PostHong KongOwner: Alibaba GroupLeanCenterCredibilityRatings: AllSides, MBFCRead at South China Morning Post
- Oldest Sulawesi cave paintings, including 51,200-year-old figures, face fire risk. SourceChannel News AsiaSingaporeLeanUnratedCredibilityUnratedRead at Channel News Asia
Quotes
“If we don’t do something about this quick, if there isn’t any tactical mitigation efforts for this incident, we will lose one of the most amazing evidence of human history in Maros-Pangkep”
Basran Burhan, Griffith University archaeologistSourcesSouth China Morning Post06:31 UTCChannel News Asia10:38 UTCSourcesSouth China Morning Post06:31 UTCChannel News Asia10:38 UTC “The first and most destructive effect is the heat. Even without direct fire touching the paintings, it could ruin them because it changes the temperature around the paintings and accelerates the process of corrosion”
Basran Burhan, Griffith University archaeologistSourcesSouth China Morning Post06:31 UTCChannel News Asia10:38 UTCSourcesSouth China Morning Post06:31 UTCChannel News Asia10:38 UTC “They create soot on the paintings and cover them, so that the paintings will become blurred and difficult to identify”
Basran Burhan, Griffith University archaeologistSourceChannel News Asia10:38 UTCSourceChannel News Asia10:38 UTC
Coverage
Oldest first · UTC“Indonesian wildfires threaten world’s oldest cave paintings in Sulawesi”
“The world’s oldest cave paintings on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi are under threat as heat and smoke from the country’s worst wildfires in more than a decade risk accelerating the deterioration of the more than 67,000-year-old works of art, according to researchers.”
Key points from South China Morning Post
- Sulawesi hosts some of the world’s oldest cave paintings, dating to at least 67,800 years.
- Indonesia’s worst wildfires in over a decade, driven by El Niño, threaten the artworks.
- Firefighters reported fires near the Maros-Pangkep site and 800 metres from the cave.
- Over 270 hectares of the national park burned between Sept 30 and Oct 18.
- Experts warn heat and smoke can accelerate deterioration and obscure the paintings.
“World’s oldest cave paintings in Indonesia threatened by wildfires”
“The world’s oldest cave paintings on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi are under threat as heat and smoke from the country’s worst wildfires in more than a decade risk accelerating the deterioration of the more than 67,000-year-old works of art.”
“The world's oldest cave paintings in Indonesia under threat of wildfires”
“In a cave in South Sulawesi’s Maros-Pangkep, an artwork depicting human-like figures interacting with a pig was dated by researchers from Australia’s Griffith University to be at least 51,200 years old.”
Key points from Channel News Asia
- Oldest Sulawesi cave paintings, including 51,200-year-old figures, face fire risk.
- Severe Indonesian wildfires driven by El Nino threaten heat- and smoke-damaged art.
- Firefighters battled blazes near Maros-Pangkep UNESCO Global Geopark, 800m from site.
- Over 270 hectares of the national park burned between Sep 30 and Oct 18.
- Experts warn heat and soot could accelerate deterioration of the paintings.
Coverage
Oldest first · UTCSourceReutersUnited KingdomOwner: Thomson ReutersLeanCenterCredibilityRatings: AllSides, MBFCRead at Reuters“The world's oldest cave paintings in Indonesia under threat of wildfires”
SourceBangkok PostThailandLeanUnratedCredibilityUnratedRead at Bangkok Post“Indonesian fires threaten world’s oldest cave paintings”
SourceSouth China Morning PostHong KongOwner: Alibaba GroupLeanCenterCredibilityRatings: AllSides, MBFCRead at South China Morning Post“Indonesian wildfires threaten world’s oldest cave paintings in Sulawesi”
“The world’s oldest cave paintings on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi are under threat as heat and smoke from the country’s worst wildfires in more than a decade risk accelerating the deterioration of the more than 67,000-year-old works of art, according to researchers.”
Key points from South China Morning Post
- Sulawesi hosts some of the world’s oldest cave paintings, dating to at least 67,800 years.
- Indonesia’s worst wildfires in over a decade, driven by El Niño, threaten the artworks.
- Firefighters reported fires near the Maros-Pangkep site and 800 metres from the cave.
- Over 270 hectares of the national park burned between Sept 30 and Oct 18.
- Experts warn heat and smoke can accelerate deterioration and obscure the paintings.
SourceThe Straits TimesSingaporeLeanCenterCredibilityRatings: AllSides, MBFCRead at The Straits Times“World’s oldest cave paintings in Indonesia threatened by wildfires”
“The world’s oldest cave paintings on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi are under threat as heat and smoke from the country’s worst wildfires in more than a decade risk accelerating the deterioration of the more than 67,000-year-old works of art.”
SourceThe IndependentUnited KingdomLeanCenter-leftCredibilityRatings: AllSides, MBFCRead at The Independent“World’s oldest cave paintings under threat as wildfires rage across Indonesia”
SourceChannel News AsiaSingaporeLeanUnratedCredibilityUnratedRead at Channel News Asia“The world's oldest cave paintings in Indonesia under threat of wildfires”
“In a cave in South Sulawesi’s Maros-Pangkep, an artwork depicting human-like figures interacting with a pig was dated by researchers from Australia’s Griffith University to be at least 51,200 years old.”
Key points from Channel News Asia
- Oldest Sulawesi cave paintings, including 51,200-year-old figures, face fire risk.
- Severe Indonesian wildfires driven by El Nino threaten heat- and smoke-damaged art.
- Firefighters battled blazes near Maros-Pangkep UNESCO Global Geopark, 800m from site.
- Over 270 hectares of the national park burned between Sep 30 and Oct 18.
- Experts warn heat and soot could accelerate deterioration of the paintings.
Why it’s in the Brief
- Starting score
- 5.0
- Public-interest topic
- +1.0
- Public-interest terms in the text
- +1.25
- High-reliability sources
- +0.75
- Corroboration by independent outlets
- +0.8
- Score
- 8.8
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