Ancient Modern Art

'Oldest' wall painting looks like modern art

By Roger Highfield, Science Editor www.telegraph.co.uk

Last Updated: 6:56pm BST 11/10/2007

French archaeologists have discovered an 11,000-year-old work of art in northern Syria which is the oldest known wall painting, even though it looks like a work by a modernist.

	The painting resembles the work of Paul Klee

The two square-metre painting, in red, black and white, was found at the Neolithic settlement of Djade al-Mughara on the Euphrates, northeast of the city of Aleppo.

"It looks like a modernist painting," said Eric Coqueugniot, the team leader. "Some of those who saw it have likened it to work by (Paul) Klee. Through carbon dating we established it is from around 9,000 BC."

"We found another painting next to it, but that won't be excavated until next year. It is slow work," said Mr Coqueugniot, who works at France's National Centre for Scientific Research.

Rectangles dominate the ancient painting, which formed part of an adobe circular wall of a large mud brick house with a wooden roof. The site has been excavated since the early 1990s.