Australia: The Land Where Time Began

A biography of the Australian continent 

Dating the First Australians

In this paper the author¹ reviews the dating of selected archaeological and megafaunal sites in the Australian region, with emphasis on some recent work on some of the oldest sites. Many of the results processed decades previously have been confirmed using improved chemical procedures with decreased analytical background for ¹⁴C analysis, combined with new luminescence methods which have increased the maximum age of some other sites. In 4 different regions that were reliably dated by multi-method results the occupation horizons are in the range 42,000-48,000 calendar years, overlapping with the age range for undisturbed sites containing the youngest extinct megafauna, that were similarly well-dated. Some archaeology may be earlier, and some megafauna may have survived later than this period, is suggested by less secure evidence.

Sources & Further reading

1. GILLESPIE, R.. Dating the first Australians.. Radiocarbon, North America, 44, aug. 2006. Available at: <https://journals.uair.arizona.edu/index.php/radiocarbon/article/view/4118>. Date accessed: 11 Oct. 2013.