Many settlements were built in areas that were on land at the end of the Ice Age, when sea levels were lower, but submerged as the sea rose, according to a study published Wednesday in the journal PLOS ONE.
The Australian coast stretched 100 miles farther from the sea than it does now, says a team of researchers led by archaeologist Jonathan Benjamin of Flinders University in Adelaide, making many ancient sites likely to be underwater.
Scientists sent divers to explore probable sites, and also used a number of techniques, such as aerial and underwater remote sensing.
They found two sites in northwest Australia. The first, in the Cape Bruguieres canal, contained artifacts that are at least 7,000 years old. At the second site, Flying Foam Passage, they found a single artifact that is 8,500 years old.
Many of the artifacts had marine life growing, but the team was able to identify a number of worked stone tools, including two possible grinding stones.
The findings show that these exploratory techniques are useful for detecting underwater archaeological sites, said the authors, who hope they can be used to systematically retrieve and investigate ancient artifacts.
The team called on the Australian government to enact legislation to protect and manage Aboriginal sites along the coast.
“Managing, researching and understanding the archeology of the Australian continental shelf in association with traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander owners and custodians is one of the last frontiers in Australian archeology,” said Benjamin.
“Our results represent the first step in a journey of discovery to explore the potential of archeology on continental shelves that can fill a major gap in the continent’s human history,” he added.
In 2016, a genomic study revealed that Australian Aborigines are the oldest known civilization on Earth, with ancestors dating back approximately 75,000 years.
The results indicate that Aborigines separated from Eurasians 57,000 years ago, after a single exodus from Africa some 75,000 years ago.
The data may show that Aboriginal Australians arrived on the continent 31,000 years ago.
.
