Some Indigenous ‘Australian’ Archeology.

I occasionally read a magazine called ‘NEXUS’ [described as the ‘Alternative News Magazine] –   alternative indeed, often, quite difficult to interpret, even believe, sometimes quite scary in terms of the subject matter been explored and examined. I wonder at times how some of these ‘experts’ and ‘writers’ come to be able to, in some cases, spend their entire life trying to prove some aspect of fantasy science, occult powers, and general theories about life that most of us would consider far-fetched, and generally, conspiracies of one sort or another.

Having said that, I do find many of the magazine’s articles to be of interest, putting aside the fact of a natural born sceptic when it comes to out of this world theories,  and./or lack of clear understanding of what is been written up, if that makes sense!!  In a  recent edition, there was one example which illustrated those  conflictions [interest and vague understanding]  –  an article in it’s Science News section entitled ‘Radio Waves and Life  –  quoting an article previously published in ‘Popular Electronics’, where it was reported  by mainstream media in 1960 that strong evidence existed at that time, and as far back as the 1920s that life [human and otherwise] can detect, and be adversely affected by radio waves.

Or more easily followed, and of a personal interest, the ‘Qanats of Persia’ –  where the writer takes readers into the world of Persian  subterranean qanat technology, used by the ancients as a water transport system, and discusses its spread as far as Europe, Africa and Asia, enabling parched lands to be opened up for agriculture and trade. What a pity Australia has never managed to achieve anything of that nature on a large scale, as have many of the ‘so-called’ second and third world countries around the globe in the modern era?

Anyway, to the point of this contribution – another example of a direct personal interest –  from the Global News section of the magazine [August-September 2020], I copy below an article entitled ‘Ancient Aboriginal Artefacts found at Underwater Sites] [ as reprinted from the source of Flinders University, July 2020].

‘The first underwater Aboriginal archaeological sites have been discovered off northwest Australia, dating back thousands of years, when the current seabed was dry land.

An international team of archaeologisyts from Flinders University, the University of Western Australia, James Cook University, Airborne Research Australia and the University of York [UK] partnered with the  Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation  to locate and investigate ancient artefacts at two underwater sites which have yielded hundreds of stone tools made by Aboriginal peoples, including grinding stones.

In a study published in PLOS ONE, the ancient underwater sites , at Cape Bruguieres and Flying Foam Passage, provide new evidence of Aboriginal ways of life from when the seabed was dry land, due to lower sea levels, thousand of years ago.

The submerged cultural landscapes represent what is know today as Sea Country to many Indigenous Australians, who have a deep cultural, spiritual and historical connection to these underwater environments.

“Australia is a massive continent but few people realise that more than 30 per cent of its land mass was drowned by sea-level rise after the last ice age. This means that a huge amount of the archaeological evidence documenting the lives of Aboriginal people is now underwater”, saYS Associate Professor  Jonathan Benjamin, who is the Maritime  Archaeology Program Coordinator at Flinders University’s College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences.

“Now we finally have the first proof that at least some of the archaeological evidence survived the process of sea level rise.  The ancient coastal archaeology  is not lost for good; we just haven’t found it yet. These new discoveries are a first step towards exploring the last real frontier of Australian archaeology.”

The dive team mapped 269 artefacts at Cape Bruguieres in shall water at depths down to 2.4 metres below modern sea level. Radiocarbon dating and analysis of sea-level changes show the site is at least 7,000 years old.

The second site at Flying Foam includes an underwater freshwater spring 14 metres below sea level. This site is estimated to be at least 8,500 years old.

Both dates may be much older as the dates represent minimum ages only; they may be even more ancient.’  [Flinders University: 2 July, 2020]…………………

Next edition, we look at a couple more books read recently, and their authors!!