Kisar Island rock art and Wallacean exchange

Record summary

Rock shelters on Kisar Island yielded paintings and archaeological deposits showing that small islands in Wallacea supported complex human activity during the Late Pleistocene and early Holocene. The site matters for comparing maritime dispersal, symbolic traditions and links between Timor, the Moluccas and wider Southeast Asia. Dating is based on associated deposits and mineral crusts rather than a simple direct age for every image, while stylistic connections do not prove one-way cultural transmission. The archipelago’s fragmented preservation record makes regional comparison especially valuable.