Crude carving ‘by pranksters’ turns out to be 5,000-year-old artwork

A CRUDE carving which archaeologists feared was graffiti vandalism has turned out to be an ancient work of art. The huge phallus was found chiselled into rock alongside 15,000 other images. suppliedA huge phallus spotted engraved into a cave wall turned out to be 5,000 years old[/caption] Experts initially thought the massive male member was the work of modern-day mischief-makers. But they now estimate the carving to be around 5,000 years old. The prominent penis is part of the Marra Wonga site in Australia. Thousands of carvings in an Outback rock shelter are the work of ancient indigenous artists. READ MORE ON AUSTRALIA CASE BOMBSHELL Twist in case of Oz’s ‘worst female serial killer’ who murdered her babies OUTBACK MYSTERY Major update in murdered backpacker case as cops reveal chilling new clue Many of the images tell the Star Dreaming story of the Seven Sisters, where a shapeshifter turns into a boomerang-throwing phallus. Prof Paul Tacon, from Griffith University, has been cataloging the art. He said: “In the story, the sisters are pursued by a powerful ancestral being known as Wattanuri, who is often associated with the Orion constellation. “At one stage, he goes under the ground and emerges as a giant penis and throws boomerangs at the sisters, which we see illustrated quite clearly in that panel.” Most read in The Sun MENDY TRIAL Grealish 'had sex with woman the same night she was raped at Mendy's party' IVAN OUT Toney among five players left out by England as they face Italy in Nations League 'IT WASN'T RIGHT' Phil & Holly 'heckled by crowd for skipping queue to see Queen's coffin' hol lot of drama Holly Willoughby breaks her silence after This Morning 'queue-gate' fury TV STAR DEAD RuPaul's Drag Race star Cherry Valentine dies at 28, heartbroken family reveal ROYAL ROW Harry snubbed dinner with Charles & Wills after Meghan banned from joining family Other artwork inside the cave, such as six-toed feet, show it was used to tell Dreaming stories. Experts used lasers and drones to document the site and say it may have been a teaching space. Prof Tacon told the Australian Archaeology journal: “There’s no other site in Australia that features art like this telling the story from one end of the shelter to another.”