World’s earliest ground-edge axe production coincides with human colonisation of Australia

Hiscock, Peter; O’Connor, Sue; Balme, Jane; Maloney, Tim

doi:10.1080/03122417.2016.1164379

Cited by 63 publications

(44 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…2). It exceeds unambiguous evidence for the use of symbols anywhere on the SCS arc by >20 ky. With one apparent exception (85), it exceeds the earliest age estimate for edge-ground axes in Sahul by 30 ky and in Eurasia by 27-35 ky (83,86,87). It precedes nearly all evidence for unifacial points and intensive seed processing in Sahul by 60 ky (88,89).…”

Section: Madjedbebementioning

confidence: 87%

When did Homo sapiens first reach Southeast Asia and Sahul?

O’Connell

Allen

Williams

et al. 2018

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

197

156

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Anatomically modern humans (, AMH) began spreading across Eurasia from Africa and adjacent Southwest Asia about 50,000-55,000 years ago ( 50-55 ka). Some have argued that human genetic, fossil, and archaeological data indicate one or more prior dispersals, possibly as early as 120 ka. A recently reported age estimate of 65 ka for Madjedbebe, an archaeological site in northern Sahul (Pleistocene Australia-New Guinea), if correct, offers what might be the strongest support yet presented for a pre-55-ka African AMH exodus. We review evidence for AMH arrival on an arc spanning South China through Sahul and then evaluate data from Madjedbebe. We find that an age estimate of >50 ka for this site is unlikely to be valid. While AMH may have moved far beyond Africa well before 50-55 ka, data from the region of interest offered in support of this idea are not compelling.

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Section: Madjedbebementioning

confidence: 87%

When did Homo sapiens first reach Southeast Asia and Sahul?

O’Connell

Allen

Williams

et al. 2018

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

197

156

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Mahirta, ), and the oldest dates from the Kimberly region (i.e. Carpenters Gap 1 and Riwi; Figure ) do not extend back to 65 ka (Balme, 2000; Hiscock et al , ; Wood et al , ). Archaeological TL/OSL (thermoluminescence/optically stimulated luminescence) dates from Madjebebe do have ranges that overlap with the 65–62 ka period of intervisibility; however they suffer from large error margins that make further interpretations unreliable (Roberts et al , ; Clarkson et al , 2015).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reconstructing Palaeogeography and Inter‐island Visibility in the Wallacean Archipelago During the Likely Period of Sahul Colonization, 65–45 000 Years Ago

Kealy

Louys

O’Connor

2017

Archaeological Prospection

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The palaeogeography of the Wallacea Archipelago is a significant factor in understanding early modern human colonization of Sahul (Australia and New Guinea), and models of colonization patterns, as well as archaeological survey and site interpretation, are all heavily dependent on the specific palaeogeographic reconstruction employed.Here we present five reconstructions for the periods 65, 60, 55, 50, and 45 000 years ago, using the latest bathometric chart and a sea-level model that is adjusted to account for the average uplift rate known from Wallacea. Using this data we also reconstructed island areal extent as well as topography for each time period. These reconstructions were then used to estimate visibility for each island in the archipelago, and finally to model how intervisible each island was during the period of likely human colonization. Our models provide the first evidence for intervisibility between Timor and Australia at ca. 65-62 ka and 47-12 ka, the second of which is notable for its overlap with the oldest radiocarbon dates from Timor-Leste and Australia. Based on intervisibility alone, however, our study suggests that the northern route into Papua New Guinea was the most parsimonious route for first modern human entry into Sahul. Our study provides archaeologists with an important baseline from which to conduct physical surveys, interpret archaeological data, and theorize the colonization of Wallacea and Sahul.

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“…Flakes made on volcanic material are present in Square 3 ( n = 2) and Square 4 ( n = 17), including two from Pleistocene layers, although none of these have evidence for ground‐edge axe maintenance as has been found at other early sites in the region (Hiscock et al . ; O'Connor et al . ).…”

Section: Evidence For Human Occupationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Long‐term occupation on the edge of the desert: Riwi Cave in the southern Kimberley, Western Australia

Balme

O’Connor

Maloney

et al. 2018

Archaeology in Oceania

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Aboriginal people occupied Riwi, a limestone cave in the south-central Kimberley region at the edge of the Great Sandy Desert of WesternAustralia, from about 46000 years ago through to the historical period. The cultural materials recovered from the Riwi excavations provide evidence of intermittent site use, especially in climatically wet periods. Changes in hunting patterns and in hearth-making practices about 34000 years ago appear to accompany a change to drought resistant vegetation in the site surrounds. Occupation during the Last Glacial Maximum highlights variation in aridity trends in the broader environmental record. The most intensive use of the cave was during a wet period in the early to middle Holocene, when people appear to have received marine shell beads from the coast through social networks. While there is less evidence for late Holocene occupation, this probably reflects deposition processes rather than an absence of occupation. RÉSUMÉLes fouilles archéologiques de Riwi, une grotte karstique au sud du Kimberley (région situéeà la lisière nord du Great Sandy Désert en Australie-Occidentale) ont permis de mettre enévidence des traces d'occupation aborigène datées entre 46000 ans jusqu'à la période historique. Le matériel découvert et les analyses paléoenvironnementales démontrent une utilisation intermittente du site, avec une préférence pour les périodes humides. Autour de 34000 ans, on observe un changement des pratiques liéesà la chasse et la construction de foyers associéà l'expansion d'une végétation xérophile (adaptéeà la sécheresse). La présence de niveaux datés du dernier maximum glaciaire démontre une fois de plus qu'il existe une grande variabilité au sein même des enregistrements environnementaux datés de cetté epoque. La période d'occupation la plus intense se situe durant une période humide au début de l'Holocène moyen au cours de laquelle on observe aussi deséchanges culturels de longues distances mis enévidence par la présence de perles de coquillages marins provenant de régions costales. L'occupation datant de l'Holocène tardif est discrète, probablement dueà un changement de dynamique sédimentaire dans la grotte.

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World’s earliest ground-edge axe production coincides with human colonisation of Australia

Cited by 63 publications

References 24 publications

When did Homo sapiens first reach Southeast Asia and Sahul?

When did Homo sapiens first reach Southeast Asia and Sahul?

Reconstructing Palaeogeography and Inter‐island Visibility in the Wallacean Archipelago During the Likely Period of Sahul Colonization, 65–45 000 Years Ago

Long‐term occupation on the edge of the desert: Riwi Cave in the southern Kimberley, Western Australia

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