First confirmed underwater Aboriginal archaeological sites found off Australian coast
Underwater techniques enable researchers to discover submerged ancient Aboriginal cultural sites

Date:
July 1, 2020
Source:
PLOS
Summary:
Ancient submerged Aboriginal archaeological sites await underwater
rediscovery off the coast of Australia, according to a study.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Ancient submerged Aboriginal archaeological sites await underwater
rediscovery off the coast of Australia, according to a study published
July 1, 2020 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Jonathan Benjamin
of Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia and colleagues.


==========================================================================
At the end of the Ice Age, sea level was much lower than today, and
the Australian coastline was 160 kilometers farther offshore. When the
ice receded and sea level rose to its current level, approximately two
million square kilometers of Australian land became submerged where
Aboriginal peoples had previously lived. Thus, it is likely that many
ancient Aboriginal sites are currently underwater.

In this study, Benjamin and colleagues report the results of several
field campaigns between 2017-2019 during which they applied a series of techniques for locating and investigating submerged archaeological sites, including aerial and underwater remote sensing technologies as well
as direct investigation by divers. They investigated two sites off the
Murujuga coastline of northwest Australia. In Cape Bruguieres Channel,
divers identified 269 artefacts dating to at least 7,000 years old,
and a single artefact was identified in a freshwater spring in Flying
Foam Passage, dated to at least 8,500 years old.

These are the first confirmed underwater archaeological sites found on Australia's continental shelf.

These findings demonstrate the utility of these exploratory techniques
for locating submerged archaeological sites. The authors hope that these techniques can be expanded upon in the future for systematic recovery
and investigation of ancient Aboriginal cultural artefacts. They further
urge that future exploration will rely not only on careful and safe
scientific procedures, but also on legislation to protect and manage
Aboriginal cultural heritage along the Australian coastline.

Benjamin says, "Managing, investigating and understanding the archaelogy
of the Australian continental shelf in partnership with Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander traditional owners and custodians is one of the
last frontiers in Australian archaeology." He adds, "Our results represent
the first step in a journey of discovery to explore the potential of archaeology on the continental shelves which can fill a major gap in
the human history of the continent."

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by PLOS. Note: Content may be edited
for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Jonathan Benjamin, Michael O'Leary, Jo McDonald, Chelsea Wiseman,
John
McCarthy, Emma Beckett, Patrick Morrison, Francis Stankiewicz,
Jerem Leach, Jorg Hacker, Paul Baggaley, Katarina Jerbić,
Madeline Fowler, John Fairweather, Peter Jeffries, Sean Ulm,
Geoff Bailey. Aboriginal artefacts on the continental shelf reveal
ancient drowned cultural landscapes in northwest Australia. PLOS
ONE, 2020; 15 (7): e0233912 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0233912 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/07/200701151722.htm

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