The chemistry of tree resins and ancient rock paintings in the Niah Caves, Sarawak (Borneo): some evidence of rain forest management by early human populations

Abstract

Research concerning the Niah Caves located in Sarawak, Borneo, has demonstrated human occupation of south-east Asia from c. 50,000 years ago until the present. Elaborate paintings, believed to date from the first millennium AD, in which a red colouration predominates, occur in an adjacent cave system. Analysis of the paint revealed it to be comparable with a red resin produced by a native leguminous tree and a resin produced by trees in Australia where caves containing predominantly red paintings are also to be found. Potential cultural/technological linkages between Sarawak and Australia are suggested. Our findings additionally contribute to evidence for the antiquity and complexity of rain forest management in south-east Asia.