On the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, scientists have discovered the world's oldest known cave painting.在印度尼西亚的苏拉威西岛，科学家们发现了世界上最古老的洞穴壁画。
The researchers used a laser to date the painting.研究人员使用激光对这幅壁画进行了年代测定。
They found it was created at least 51,200 years ago.他们发现它至少创作于51200年前。
The painting is inside a cave called Leang Karampuang in an area of South Sulawesi province.这幅壁画位于南苏拉威西省一个名为Leang Karampuang的洞穴内。
The scientists used the laser to date crystal structures of the mineral calcium carbonate that formed naturally on top of the painting.科学家们使用激光对该画作顶部自然形成的矿物碳酸钙晶体结构进行了年代测定。
Maxime Aubert is an expert in archaeology at Griffith University in Australia.马克西姆·奥伯特是澳大利亚格里菲斯大学的考古学专家。
He was one of the leaders of the research published in the journal Nature.他是发表在《自然》杂志上的这项研究的带头人之一。
He said the new dating method is an improvement over other ways of dating rock paintings.他说，这种新的年代测定法相比其他岩石画年代测定法有所改进。
The painting is a dark red color.这幅壁画呈深红色。
It shows a pig that is 92 centimeters by 38 centimeters.它展示出一头猪，尺寸是92厘米乘38厘米。
Three human-like images are near the pig.这头猪附近有三个人形图像。
The researchers think the painting is likely the oldest-known evidence of storytelling in art.研究人员认为这幅壁画可能是已知最古老的艺术叙事证据。
Griffith University archeologist Adam Brumm was another leader of the research team.格里菲斯大学的考古学家亚当·布鲁姆是该研究团队的另一位带头人。
He thinks the position of the human images near the pig gives the painting a feeling of action.他认为这头猪附近的人物形象的位置给予了这幅壁画动态感。
"There is something happening between these figures.“这些形象之间发生了一些事情。
A story is being told," he said.一个故事正在被讲述，”他说。
The researchers also used the laser to estimate the date from another cave painting on Sulawesi.研究人员还使用激光来估计苏拉威西岛另一幅洞穴壁画的年代。
That cave is called Leang Bulu' Sipong 4.那个洞穴被称为Leang Bulu' Sipong 4。
The painting in it shows part-human, part-animal figures hunting pigs and small buffalo.该幅壁画描绘了半人半兽的形象在猎捕猪和小水牛。
"We, as humans, define ourselves as a species that tells stories, and these are the oldest evidence of us doing that," Aubert said.奥伯特说：“作为人类，我们将自己定义为一个会讲故事的物种，而这些是证明这一点的最古老证据。”
Little is known about the people who created the Sulawesi cave paintings.人们对苏拉威西洞穴壁画的创作者知之甚少。
Aubert said the paintings might be older than the age found by the new testing.奥伯特说，这些画作可能比新的年代测定法发现的年代更久远。
The paintings might date closer to the time humans first came to the area, around 65,000 years ago.这些壁画的年代可能更接近人类首次来到该地区的时间，大约是6.5万年前。
Until now, the oldest-known cave painting was from another cave in Sulawesi, from at least 45,500 years ago.到目前为止，已知最古老的洞穴壁画来自苏拉威西岛的另一个洞穴，至少有45500年的历史。
The researchers said the Leang Karampuang painting is older than the cave paintings of Europe.研究人员表示，Leang Karampuang洞穴内的壁画比欧洲的洞穴壁画还要古老。
The oldest known painting found in Europe is at El Castillo in Spain, dating to about 40,800 years ago.在欧洲发现的最古老壁画位于西班牙的El Castillo，可以追溯到大约40800年前。
Before the discovery of cave paintings in South Sulawesi in 2014, some experts thought humans first created art in Europe.在2014年南苏拉威西岛发现洞穴壁画之前，一些专家认为人类最先在欧洲创造作了艺术。
"This discovery of very old cave art in Indonesia drives home the point that Europe was not the birthplace of cave art," Brumm said.布鲁姆说：“在印度尼西亚发现的极古老洞穴艺术强调了这一点——欧洲并不是洞穴艺术的发源地。”
"The earliest Sulawesi rock art is not 'simple'," Aubert added.“最早的苏拉威西岩艺术并不‘简单’，”奥伯特补充道。
"It is quite advanced and shows the mental capacity of people at the time."“它相当先进，展示了当时人们的心智能力。”
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