|
Timeline of Sites
Containing Beads and Pendants in Sahul (Greater Australia)
- 42,000
Riwi Cave,
the Kimberley
- 39,500 Buang Merabak, New Ireland
- 32,000
Mandu Mandu Creek Rockshelter, Cape Range Peninsula,
northwestern Australia.
- 20,000
Devil's Lair, southwest Western
Australia.
- 12,000
Kow Swamp, northern Victoria
- 8,000
Lake Nitchie, western New South
Wales
- 8,000
Roonka, South Australia
- 14,000
Allens Cave, Nullarbor Plain, South
Australia
- 9,800 Liang Nabulei Lisa, Aru Islands
- 8,000 Vlaming Head Middens I & IIa and
North West Cape Midden I, Cape Range Peninsula, Western Australia
- 7,000
Nawamoyn, Arnhem Land,
Northern Territory.
- 7,000 Cooma, New South Wales Southern
Tablelands
- 8,000 David's Dune, WallPolla Island,
northern Victoria
- 8,000 Matenbek, New Ireland.
-
Carpenter's Gap Rockshelter 1, the Kimberley
-
Riwi Cave,
the Kimberley. Fragments of shell (Dentalium sp.) with
smoothed openings, possibly resulting from being worn on a string as
beads of a necklace. On 1 fragment there was a residue thought to be
ochre, another had a a fibre suggesting it had been on a string
dating to at least 29,550 +/- 290 BP (Wk-7896) to 40,700 +/- 16\260
BP
ANUA-13006)
(>40,000), and possibly 42,000 years ago. (Balme, 2000; Balme &
Morse, 2006).
- Buang Merabak, New Ireland. A perforated tiger shark tooth
dating from 39,500-28,000 BP. (Leavesley, 2007).
-
Mandu Mandu Creek Rockshelter, Cape Range Peninsula,
northwestern Australia. 22 shell beads (Conus sp.) in
the basal occupation horizon dated to 32,000 BP, between 34,200 +/- 1050
BP (Wk 1513)and 30,000 +/- 800 BP (Wk 1576). The
Cunus
shells were about 20 cm below a date of 22,100 +/- 500 BP (Wk 1575).
Of the 3 cone shell fragments, 1 appeared to have been modified.
Their estimated age is 21,000 BP. A scaphopod shell (Dentalliidae
sp.) and a fragment of either pearl oyster or Nautilus
shell were found in late Pleistocene deposits. From ethnography they
have been known to be worn as ornaments such as pendants (Morse,
1993a,b).
-
Devil's Lair, southwest Western
Australia. 3 beads made from macropod long bones dating from
20,000-12,000 BP. The original date was 17,370 +/- 290 BP
(SUA-1248). It has been redated to 19,160 +/- 380 BP (SUA-976) &
19,835 +/- 75 BP (AA 19691). A small, tapering bone spliter that had
been perforated has been dated to 12,000 BP. It is believed it may
be a pendant. Other short pieces of perforated bone with unrounded
ends are thought to have possibly been bead blanks; an oblong bone,
19 mm long, covered with scratches, possibly to be an ornament
covered with gum; what is thought may be a broken bead blank that
had a bone sliver inserted, It has been suggested the sliver may
have been used to clean out the marrow cavity, that dated to 12,000
BP; a naturally perforated marl object that is thought was possibly
a pendant. (Dortch & Merrilees, 1973; Dortch, 1979,1984; Dortch &
Dortch, 1996; Bednarik, 1997, 1998; Dortch, 2004).
-
Kow Swamp, northern Victoria.
In a burial dated to about 12,000 BP was found a headband made from
kangaroo incisor teeth that had traces of resin still on them,
indicating that they had been stuck together. Burials at the site
dated from between 14,000 BP and 9,000 BP. 19,160 +/- 360 and 19,835 +/- 75 years ago. Dorch & Merrilees
(1973); Dorch (1979,1984);Dorch & Dorch (1996); Dorch (2004).The
burials had been dated to between 14,000 BP and 9,000 years ago. Flood (1995).
-
Lake Nitchie, western New South
Wales. A necklace made from 178 Tasmanian devil's teeth was found in
burial that dated to 6,820 +/- 200 years ago. A hole had been ground
and gouged out of each of each tooth so they could be threaded on a
string. (Mackintosh, 1971; Flood, 1995).
-
Roonka, South Australia.
In the Roonka cemetery site were elaborate burials that date from
the early to late Holocene. Roonka Phase II dated to 8,000 - 4.000 years ago. 6,910 +/- 450
BP. A large fossil oyster shell with holes drilled close together,
dated to 6,910 +/- 450 BP (ANU-1408), was recovered from Grave 89. 2
native cat (Dasyurid) mandibles were recovered from
Grave 63 had what appear to be drilled attachment holes. Roonka
Phase III dates from later than 4,000 BP. In grave 108 were a child
and a man. The man had a double-stranded band of notched wallaby
teeth around his forehead and a skin cloak that was fastened with
bone pins and the paws of an animal pelt at the shoulder. He had a
second band of wallaby incisors on his left shoulder. On the child
were a bird skull pendant and a reptile vertebrae necklace. The
child's feet had been stained with ochre. (Pretty, 1997; Flood, 1995; Pate et al.,
1995).
-
Allens Cave, Nullarbor Plain, South
Australia. It has been suggested that an abalone shell (Haliotis
lacgivata) found in the deposit was transported to the site
as an ornament, possibly a pendant. 13-14,000 BP (Cane, 2001).
- Liang Nabulei Lisa, Aru Islands. In the terminal Pleistocene
deposit was found a shell (Terebra subulate) pendant.
It had a hole drilled opposite the opercular opening 9.630 +/- 60
BP (OZD697) and 9,750 +/- 60 BP (OZD698). (Bulbeck, 2006a; O'Conor et
al., 2006a).
- Vlaming Head Middens I & IIa and
North West Cape Midden I, Cape Range Peninsula, Western Australia. 3
bailer pendant fragments have been found, of which 2 were drilled
and the 3rd had all its edges smoothed by grinding. The earliest
date obtained for other sites on the peninsula are 7,810 +/- 115 BP
(SUA 1735), most <6,000 years old. (Przwolnik, 2003).
-
Nawamoyn, Arnhem Land.
3 shells were found with holes drilled in their bases, 1 was
estuarine (Geloina sp.), the other 2 were marine (Anadara
sp.). It is believed they may have been pendants. 1 of the
Anadara shells had been covered with red ochre. The shell
midden they were found in began accumulating around 7,110 +/- 130 BP
(ANU-53). (Schrire, 1982).
- Cooma, New South Wales Southern Tablelands. In a burial dated to
about 7,000 BP, were found 327 pierced kangaroo and wallaby incisors
that were scattered throughout the grave. They are believed to have
been part of a necklace. The teeth had been pierced from both sides
in the root area of the tooth. Some were polished, suggesting that
had been rubbing together on a string. (Feary (1996).
- David's Dune, Wallpolla Island,
northern Victoria. A necklace of pierced Tasmanian devil canine
teeth was found in Burial 20 that has been suggested to be similar
to a necklace found at Lake Nitchie. It has been dated to 7,140 +/-
200 BP (ANU-8647). Pardoe, 1995).
- Matenbek, New Ireland. A small shell bead has been dated to about 8,000 BP.
Shells and shell fragments have been found with holes drilled ijn
them and with modified edges. It has been suggested that these may
have been used for utilitarian purposes, such as the manufacture of
fish hooks. They date from the late Pleistocene and the earlier
Holocene. (Smith & Allen, 1999).
-
Carpenter's Gap Rockshelter 1, the Kimberley.
Shell (Dentalium sp.) beads found in Pleistocene
deposits. (O'Connor, 1995).
Package of cultural
Innovations
Sources & Further reading
Phillip J. Habgood & Natilie R. Franklin,
The revolution that
didn't arrive: A review of Pleistocene Sahul, Journal of Human
Evolution, 55, 2008
Links
The revolution that didn't arrive: A review of Pleistocene Sahul
|
|