Do Pleistocene rock paintings depict Sulawesi warty pigs (Sus celebensis) with a domestication character?

Abstract

The Indonesian island of Sulawesi harbours numerous early rock paintings of the endemic Sulawesi warty pig (Sus celebensis). Several S. celebensis images, including one dated to at least 45,500 years ago (ka), portray these suids with an anatomical character not observed in the living species: a pair of teat‐like protuberances in the neck area. This feature seems to be most consistent morphologically with neck “wattles”, cutaneous appendages only manifested in modern domestic swine (Sus scrofa) and some other domesticated ungulates (e.g. goats). The notion that the trait portrayed by the Late Pleistocene artists is a domestication character is clearly contentious. We therefore consider: (1) whether we have misidentified the trait – a common problem in rock art analysis; (2) whether wattles are a genuine domestication trait; and (3) if so, whether the notion that Pleistocene people domesticated S. celebensis is plausible. A clear resolution to all of these problems evades us; however, our investigation of this anomaly in the ancient rock art poses important questions about the nature and complexity of early human–pig relations in this island.

Humans Making History through Continuities and Discontinuities in Art

“…The representational art of Indonesia is unrelated, and is nearly 7000 years earlier in Sulawesi and probably 3000 in Borneo (Aubert et al . 2018; 2019; Brumm, Oktaviana, Burhan et al 2021a, b). There has been very little discussion of the assumptions that would make comparison between Indonesia and Europe relevant to human evolution, though that is a crucial question.…”

“…Two conclusions follow from this: first, the original estimate was out by a matter of 10,000 years, as Clottes himself admits; second, the representational art at the site could be hailed as one of the earliest examples of cave art in France. The representational art of Indonesia is unrelated, and is nearly 7000 years earlier in Sulawesi and probably 3000 in Borneo (Aubert et al 2018;Brumm, Oktaviana, Burhan et al 2021a, b). There has been very little discussion of the assumptions that would make comparison between Indonesia and Europe relevant to human evolution, though that is a crucial question.…”

“…Let us leave aside the difficulties of definition (Davidson 2020a), or of classifying the red marks on cave walls thought to be made by Neanderthals, the so-far-unique arrangements of stalagmites at 176,000 years ago in Bruniquel (Jaubert et al 2016), or the growing number of sites with modified bird bones (Finlayson et al 2012). The earliest non-Neanderthals entered Europe without having 'art' as part of their behaviour (Slimak et al 2022) but it seems to have emerged there quite independent of its earlier appearance in Sulawesi and Borneo (Aubert et al 2018;Brumm 2021a;Langley et al 2020). There were 'precursors' to 'art' or even art itself rather earlier in South Africa (see Culley & Davidson 2021): ochre processing to make paint by 100,000 years ago at Blombos (Henshilwood et al 2011); scratching of ochre between 100,000 and 75,000 years ago (Henshilwood et al 2009), leading to making patterned marks on ochre at around 73,000 years ago (Henshilwood et al 2002) with a tiny example from Klein Kliphuis rather later (Mackay & Welz 2008); engraved and shaped bone objects from the later period at Blombos and Klasies River (d 'Errico et al 2001;d'Errico & Henshilwood 2007); shell beads at Blombos back to 76,000 years ago (d 'Errico et al 2005;Henshilwood et al 2004); and production of patterns on ostrich-egg shells probably used as water containers before 60,000 years ago (Texier et al 2010).…”

“…2022) but it seems to have emerged there quite independent of its earlier appearance in Sulawesi and Borneo (Aubert et al . 2018; 2019; Brumm 2021a; Langley et al . 2020).…”

Technology, subsistence strategies and diversity in South Sulawesi, Indonesia, during the Toalean Mid-Holocene period: recent advances in research

“…However, hypoplasias are not causally linked to domestication and the dental study does not rule out the possibility of alternative causes of LEH in this instance. Furthermore, a recent review of the painted "pig" figures found on the cave walls in the region has raised the possibility that a special and uniquely close relationship may have been established between hunter-gatherers and S. celebensis soon after initial human colonization of the island (Brumm et al 2021b).…”