Aboriginal artefacts on the continental shelf reveal ancient drowned cultural landscapes in northwest Australia.


Journal

PloS one
ISSN: 1932-6203
Titre abrégé: PLoS One
Pays: United States
ID NLM: 101285081

Informations de publication

Date de publication:
2020
Historique:
received: 19 02 2020
accepted: 14 05 2020
entrez: 2 7 2020
pubmed: 2 7 2020
medline: 17 9 2020
Statut: epublish

Résumé

This article reports Australia's first confirmed ancient underwater archaeological sites from the continental shelf, located off the Murujuga coastline in north-western Australia. Details on two underwater sites are reported: Cape Bruguieres, comprising > 260 recorded lithic artefacts at depths down to -2.4 m below sea level, and Flying Foam Passage where the find spot is associated with a submerged freshwater spring at -14 m. The sites were discovered through a purposeful research strategy designed to identify underwater targets, using an iterative process incorporating a variety of aerial and underwater remote sensing techniques and diver investigation within a predictive framework to map the submerged landscape within a depth range of 0-20 m. The condition and context of the lithic artefacts are analysed in order to unravel their depositional and taphonomic history and to corroborate their in situ position on a pre-inundation land surface, taking account of known geomorphological and climatic processes including cyclone activity that could have caused displacement and transportation from adjacent coasts. Geomorphological data and radiometric dates establish the chronological limits of the sites and demonstrate that they cannot be later than 7000 cal BP and 8500 cal BP respectively, based on the dates when they were finally submerged by sea-level rise. Comparison of underwater and onshore lithic assemblages shows differences that are consistent with this chronological interpretation. This article sets a foundation for the research strategies and technologies needed to identify archaeological targets at greater depth on the Australian continental shelf and elsewhere, building on the results presented. Emphasis is also placed on the need for legislation to better protect and manage underwater cultural heritage on the 2 million square kilometres of drowned landscapes that were once available for occupation in Australia, and where a major part of its human history must lie waiting to be discovered.

Identifiants

pubmed: 32609779
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0233912
pii: PONE-D-20-04816
pmc: PMC7329065
doi:

Types de publication

Historical Article Journal Article Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Langues

eng

Sous-ensembles de citation

IM

Pagination

e0233912

Commentaires et corrections

Type : ErratumIn

Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Références

PLoS One. 2018 Sep 19;13(9):e0202511
pubmed: 30231025
Science. 2019 Aug 30;365(6456):891-897
pubmed: 31467216
Nature. 2012 Nov 29;491(7426):744-7
pubmed: 23151478
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2013 Jun 25;110(26):10699-704
pubmed: 23754394
Evol Anthropol. 2015 Jul-Aug;24(4):149-64
pubmed: 26267436
Nature. 2017 Jul 19;547(7663):306-310
pubmed: 28726833

Auteurs

Jonathan Benjamin (J)

College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia.
ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, James Cook University, Cairns, Australia.

Michael O'Leary (M)

School of Earth Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia.

Jo McDonald (J)

Centre for Rock Art Research + Management, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia.

Chelsea Wiseman (C)

College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia.

John McCarthy (J)

College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia.

Emma Beckett (E)

Centre for Rock Art Research + Management, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia.

Patrick Morrison (P)

Centre for Rock Art Research + Management, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia.

Francis Stankiewicz (F)

College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia.

Jerem Leach (J)

College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia.

Jorg Hacker (J)

College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia.
ARA-Airborne Research Australia, Salisbury South, Australia.

Paul Baggaley (P)

College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia.
Wessex Archaeology, Portway House, Old Sarum Park, Salisbury, England, United Kingdom.

Katarina Jerbić (K)

College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia.

Madeline Fowler (M)

College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia.
Archaeology, School of Humanities, University of Southampton, University Road, Southampton, United Kingdom.

John Fairweather (J)

Centre for Rock Art Research + Management, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia.

Peter Jeffries (P)

Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation, Karratha, Australia.

Sean Ulm (S)

ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, James Cook University, Cairns, Australia.
College of Arts, Society and Education, James Cook University, Cairns, Australia.

Geoff Bailey (G)

College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia.
Department of Archaeology, University of York, The King's Manor, York, England, United Kingdom.

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