A group of Australian scientists has discovered a unique “time capsule” that preserves to this day the traces of the first coastal inhabitants of this continent, who lived about 50,000 years ago.
The study was published in the journal Quaternary Science Reviews and a summary can be found at Phys.org. The expedition worked on Barrow Island, whose rock composition differs from that of the mainland. This island is located 60 kilometers from the city of Pilbara in Western Australia and was once a hill overlooking a vast coastline.
This was the northwestern shelf of the Australian continent, now inundated by the ocean. Scientists have found evidence that Aboriginal people repeatedly inhabited parts of this coastal plateau in ancient times. In addition, the first settlers probably appeared here 50,000 years ago. The site remained habitable until rising sea levels isolated the island from the mainland 6,500 years ago.
“The last ice age was the coldest (24,000 – 19,000 years ago), with sea levels worldwide approximately 130 meters below current levels,” the authors write. “As the ice melted, sea levels rose rapidly, isolating Barrow Island from Since no Aboriginal people settled the island after this, the archaeological remains of human footprints on Barrow Island represent a “capsule of the time” unique to Australia. Most other coastal areas of the time are now underwater, but these submerged landscapes were once vast and habitable for living.”
The largest ancient human home was the local Budi Cave, which is also one of the oldest archaeological sites in Western Australia. It was here that during excavations traces of the presence of aborigines were found, whose age is at least 50,000 years.
“As sea level changed over time, the distance between Budi Cave and the seashore also changed significantly,” the researchers continue. “The Aborigines brought seafood to Budi Cave, even when it was many kilometers from the coast. As the sea level rose, the people’s diet changed. “It changed. “The amount of shellfish, crabs, turtles and fish consumed in the cave increased over time.”
It was also discovered that Aboriginal people used local limestone, rich in silica, to make tools and weapons. This material was easily accessible, but no less easy to dull. Therefore, no cutting tools were made from it. For example, Aboriginal people made knives from the hard shells of large sea snails and used them to cut up turtles and dugongs.
