World's Oldest Oil Paintings

Buddhist murals from Afghanistan's famed Bamian caves are the world's oldest known oil paintings, according to a new chemical analysis. (See photos of the paintings and the cliffs that housed them).

The finds, dated to around the 7th century CE, predate the origins of similar sophisticated painting techniques in medieval Europe and the Mediterranean by more than a hundred years.

The discovery may also provide insights into cultural exchange along the Silk Road connecting east and west Asia during that time period.

Using gas chromatography and mass spectrometry, scientists found that samples from twelve caves and the two giant Buddhas destroyed by the Taliban contained oil- and resin-based paints - likely the earliest known use for either substance for painting.

The analysis, done by Yoko Taniguchi of Japan, showed the murals were painted using a structured, multilayered technique reminiscent of early European methods.

Just paint it!