Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News Editorials & Other Articles General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

Judi Lynn

(163,625 posts)
1. 3,000-Year-Old Pottery Reveals Trade Networks in Australia Long Before Colonization
Wed Apr 10, 2024, 06:23 AM
Apr 2024

10 April 2024
ByCLARE WATSON



(Ulm et al., Quaternary Science Reviews, 2024)

Dozens of broken pieces of pottery dating between 2,000 and 3,000 years old have been unearthed on a windswept island on the Great Barrier Reef – the oldest pottery ever discovered in Australia.

The remnants, found less than a meter below the surface by Traditional Owners and archeologists, mark a millennia-long practice of First Nations people making ceramics on Jiigurru (Lizard Island).

Made from locally sourced clay and sand, the pottery was fired thousands of years before British colonists invaded Australia in 1788, at a time when other island communities in the region were also making ceramics.

"These findings not only open a new chapter in Australian, Melanesian, and Pacific archaeology but also challenge colonialist stereotypes by highlighting the complexity and innovation of Aboriginal communities," says senior author Ian McNiven, an archeologist from Monash University in Australia.

Working over two years in the baking sun, covered in salt, sea spray, and crusted sweat, the team of researchers and Dingaal and Ngurrumungu Aboriginal community members steadily excavated a shell midden some 2.4 meters (nearly 8 feet) deep to find pieces of pottery among the remains of shellfish, fish and turtle bones, and charred plant materials.

More:
https://www.sciencealert.com/2000-year-old-pottery-reveals-trade-networks-in-australia-long-before-colonization

Recommendations

3 members have recommended this reply (displayed in chronological order):

Latest Discussions»Culture Forums»Anthropology»Aboriginal people made po...»Reply #1