Explore The Largest Ancient South Sulawesi Cave in 360°
From small hand prints to dug out canoe, see the beautiful pre-historic paintings at Leang Sumpang Bita
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The entrance of Leang Sumpang Bita
Leang Sumpang Bita has been researched since 1980. The cave has gained its fame for its size and beautiful features. It is now a state cultural heritage site.
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As you enter the cave, you are immediately welcomed by a series of ballooned pigs on the wall.
Take a step forward and observe its details.
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Some part of the painting had gone through restoration
The anoa and hand stencils on the first chamber on the right side of Sumpang Bita wall had gone through a restoration process. This panel shows anoa's hunting scene.
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See 'dugout canoe', pigs, and hand stencils
This panel was also restored during conservation in the 1990s. Some researchers believe that the dugout was from an animal, most likely a pig body. The body of pigs in Leang Sumpang Bita was painted distended.
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Different paint colors for different objects
The pig was painted in a range of orange and dark red colors. The hand stencils was painted in dark red to purple colors.
A mhytical creature in Sumpang Bita Cave (2018) by Adhi Agus OktavianaArchaeological, Language and Literature Research Organization
Zoomorf painting
This huge turtle image might be a mythical creature and not a real turtle; human hand stencils appear on the foot of the turtle.
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The group of pigs on the second chamber
The pigs with the ballooned shape body is unique only to Maros-Pangkep rock art region.
The hand stencils on the second chamber depict single, couple, and group patterns. However, the purple hand stencils crystallize more than the dark red ones, which is probably due to the higher temperature used when processing the hematite material before spraying it on the cave wall to make hand stencils. See: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.microc.2019.01.001
Can you spot a rare foot stencil that appears on left image of the virtual tour?
The unidentified painting on the left image was made with stencils. The image on the right is a painting of a human figure, similar to the ones found at Pominsa Cave.
The location of Bulu Bettue cave (2020) by Andrea Jalandoni and M. KottermairArchaeological, Language and Literature Research Organization
Continue to see pre-historic bones found a Leang Bulu Bettue
Explore Leang Bulu Bettue
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