Baiame Cave
Australia has some of the oldest surviving human art in the world. There is always something special about staring into something created on a completely different timescale to modern history. The art of this cave is believed by the Wonnarua Aboriginal people to be a painting of Baiame, a legendary ancestor and the maker of all things. After Baiame journeyed amongst the people and having imparted to them knowledge, lore and ceremony, he returned to the sky, stepping up from Mt Yengo nearby (hence its flattened summit). In Australian Aboriginal mythology Baiame (Baayami or Baayama) is the creator spirit of the Dreaming of the Aboriginal peoples of South-Eastern Australia, including the Wonnarua, Wiradjuri, Darkinjung, Awabakal, Worimi and Kamilaroi. The cave is 6.7m wide and the arwork is largest in south eastern Australia. NSW, Australia.
It is unknown how old this painting is as no good radiocarbon dating is available for this site. The oldest examples of aboriginal art in Australia are found in Western Australia's Pilbara region and the Olary district of South Australia. They are estimated to be up to around 40,000 years old.
Robert Downie
Love Life, Love Photography
All images in this post were taken by and remain the Copyright of Robert Downie - http://www.robertdowniephotography.com
Baiame Cave has been resteemed by @resteemmuse
Baiame Cave has been resteemed by @resteemmuse
40000 years old! Didn't know australia had that old paintings, missed it when I went there.
Thanks. Sadly the indigenous rock art in Australia does not get the recognition it deserves.
Indigenous Australian’s have such an old and unique culture. Thanks for sharing this traditional art work!
Cheers mate.
Cheers mate.
Prehistoric art is fascinating. I was fortunate enough to live next to Bronze Age cave paintings, when I lived in southern Spain. It certainly puts your short lifespan in perspective. Nice work!
Thanks. I would love to see the paintings in Spain!
Interesting post. Cheers for sharing mate
Thanks
With those proportions and the glowing boomerangs flying around, no wonder there's a strong belief in ancient aliens! Observing some of these seriously ancient works first hand does feel a little mind blowing doesn't it :)
Ha yes . Makes you feel a little insignificant.
That time scale is insane. So hard to comprehend
Yes. It's a pity the historical artwork in Australia does not get the recognition that similar artwork from that time period does elsewhere.
So true...
Here in Spain we have the oldest cave davings, the cave is named "cuevas de Altamira".
So nice to have a look to the past and conect to our beginings.
I would love to see the paintings at Altamira; although I think the original cave is closed to the public and now people view a replica. They are indeed very old (~15-20,000 years) but no longer considered the oldest. The El Castillo, La Pasiega, Maltravieso, and Ardales caves in Spain have art daring back perhaps as old as 40-65,000 years which in those time-frames could even have been work of the Neanderthals.
This aboriginal art is a work of art, they should protect them like a treasure, they are visible signs of what they could do in our ancestor, it is a yoja found, thank you for sharing with us all this wonder.