La ligne de Wallace a-t-elle été franchie par les artistes des temps préhistoriques? Deux nouvelles grottes ornées à Bornéo

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Publication Date

January 1998

Abstract

Was the Wallace line ever crossed by man during the Prehistoric period ? Before 1992, the Indonesian part of Borneo (Kalimantan) had not been the subject of archeological research. Five speleological and archeological research missions discovered numerous sites, first in the center island (MtiUer Range , in some isolated parts) and secondly in the huge karst region of Mangkalihat peninsula (NE of Kalimantan) where the first painted caves in Borneo were found in 1994. During the last expedition, in September 98, we discovered two other painted caves, the most beautiful and richest ever found in Borneo, with numerous negative hand stencils and painted figures in a good state of preservation. These discoveries have been made in a very difficult area (pinacle and cone karst in the rainforest) by a small team - one caver and one archeologist. The systematic exploration of Borneo caves is essential to answer the question of the role played by the Island in the prehistoric migrations between Asia and Australia.

Keywords

Prehistory, Painted Cave, Borneo, Mangkalihat, Wallace Line

Document Type

Article

Notes

Karstologia, Vol. 32 (1998-01-01).

Identifier

SFS0070439_00001

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