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Kowlessar J, Moffat I, Wesley D, Willis M, Wrigglesworth S, Jones T, Nayinggul A. Reconstructing archaeological palaeolandscapes using geophysical and geomatic survey techniques: An example from Red Lily Lagoon, Arnhem Land, Australia. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0283006. [PMID: 37141270 PMCID: PMC10159127 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0283006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2022] [Accepted: 02/28/2023] [Indexed: 05/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Arnhem Land is a key region for understanding the Pleistocene colonisation of Australia, due to the presence of the oldest sites in the continent. Despite this, conventional archaeological survey has not been effective at locating additional pre-Holocene sites in the region due to a complex distribution of geomorphic units caused by sea level rise and coastal aggradation. This research uses geophysical and geomatic techniques to map the subsurface distribution of the geomorphic units in the Red Lily Lagoon region in eastern Arnhem Land. This reveals a complex Pleistocene landscape, which offers the potential to locate additional archaeological sites and so reveal more about the lifeways of the earliest Australians.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jarrad Kowlessar
- Archaeology, College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, Flinders University, Bedford Park, South Australia, Australia
| | - Ian Moffat
- Archaeology, College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, Flinders University, Bedford Park, South Australia, Australia
| | - Daryl Wesley
- Archaeology, College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, Flinders University, Bedford Park, South Australia, Australia
| | - Mark Willis
- Archaeology, College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, Flinders University, Bedford Park, South Australia, Australia
- Sacred Sites Research, Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States of America
| | - Shay Wrigglesworth
- Njanjma Rangers, Gunbalanya, Northern Territory, Australia
- Kakadu National Park, Jabiru, Northern Territory, Australia
| | - Tristen Jones
- Department of Archaeology, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia
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65,000-years of continuous grinding stone use at Madjedbebe, Northern Australia. Sci Rep 2022; 12:11747. [PMID: 35817808 PMCID: PMC9273753 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-15174-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2022] [Accepted: 06/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Grinding stones and ground stone implements are important technological innovations in later human evolution, allowing the exploitation and use of new plant foods, novel tools (e.g., bone points and edge ground axes) and ground pigments. Excavations at the site of Madjedbebe recovered Australia’s (if not one of the world’s) largest and longest records of Pleistocene grinding stones, which span the past 65 thousand years (ka). Microscopic and chemical analyses show that the Madjedbebe grinding stone assemblage displays the earliest known evidence for seed grinding and intensive plant use, the earliest known production and use of edge-ground stone hatchets (aka axes), and the earliest intensive use of ground ochre pigments in Sahul (the Pleistocene landmass of Australia and New Guinea). The Madjedbebe grinding stone assemblage reveals economic, technological and symbolic innovations exemplary of the phenotypic plasticity of Homo sapiens dispersing out of Africa and into Sahul.
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Florin SA, Roberts P, Marwick B, Patton NR, Shulmeister J, Lovelock CE, Barry LA, Hua Q, Nango M, Djandjomerr D, Fullagar R, Wallis LA, Fairbairn AS, Clarkson C. Pandanus nutshell generates a palaeoprecipitation record for human occupation at Madjedbebe, northern Australia. Nat Ecol Evol 2021; 5:295-303. [PMID: 33495592 PMCID: PMC7929916 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-020-01379-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2020] [Accepted: 12/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Little is known about the Pleistocene climatic context of northern Australia at the time of early human settlement. Here we generate a palaeoprecipitation proxy using stable carbon isotope analysis of modern and archaeological pandanus nutshell from Madjedbebe, Australia's oldest known archaeological site. We document fluctuations in precipitation over the last 65,000 years and identify periods of lower precipitation during the penultimate and last glacial stages, Marine Isotope Stages 4 and 2. However, the lowest effective annual precipitation is recorded at the present time. Periods of lower precipitation, including the earliest phase of occupation, correspond with peaks in exotic stone raw materials and artefact discard at the site. This pattern is interpreted as suggesting increased group mobility and intensified use of the region during drier periods.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Anna Florin
- School of Social Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia.
| | - Patrick Roberts
- School of Social Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany
| | - Ben Marwick
- Department of Anthropology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Nicholas R Patton
- School of Earth and Environment, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - James Shulmeister
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
- School of Earth and Environment, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Catherine E Lovelock
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Linda A Barry
- Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, Lucas Heights, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Quan Hua
- Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, Lucas Heights, New South Wales, Australia
| | - May Nango
- Gundjeihmi Aboriginal Corporation, Jabiru, Northern Territory, Australia
| | | | - Richard Fullagar
- Centre for Archaeological Science, School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Lynley A Wallis
- Griffith Centre for Social and Cultural Research, Griffith University, Nathan, Queensland, Australia
| | - Andrew S Fairbairn
- School of Social Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia.
- Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany.
| | - Chris Clarkson
- School of Social Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia.
- Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany.
- Centre for Archaeological Science, School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia.
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