Australia: The Land Where Time Began
Ochre has been found throughout this deposit, but peaks in levels dating from between 20,040 +/- 440 and 25,200 +/- 250 (Moore, 1993b). The known ochre sources that are nearest to the site are 300 km to the northeast on the Hamersley Plateau and at Wilgie Mia, 850 km to the southwest (Morse, 1993b).
22 Conus sp. shell beads were found in the basal layer dating to 32,000 BP, between 34,200 +/- 1,050 BP and 30,000 +/- 850 BP. A date of 22,100 +/- 500 has been obtained from a layer about 20 cm above the Conus shells. A date of 21,000 BP has been estimated for 3 cons shell fragments. One of the fragments may have been modified. Fragments of either Nautilus or pearl oyster shell, and a scaphopod shell (Dentalium sp) were found in late Pleistocene deposits. These are known to have been used in recent times as pendants. (Habgood & Franklin, 2008).
- Table of Sites Containing Beads and Pendants in central Australia
- Table of Australian Sites Where Ochre has Been Found
- Mining and quarrying
Phillip J. Habgood & Natilie R. Franklin, The revolution that didn't arrive: A review of Pleistocene Sahul, Journal of Human Evolution, 55, 2008
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Shell beads from Mandu Mandu Creek rock-shelter, Cape Range peninsula, Western Australia, dated before 30,000 b.p.