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Australia: The Land Where Time Began |
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Yellabidde Cave, Northern Swan Coastal Plain, Southwestern Australia
Coastal midden sites dating to the Holocene are the main source of
evidence of human occupation on the northern Swan Coastal Plain in
Western Australia. In this paper Monks et
al. present preliminary
results of archaeological investigations at Yellabidde Cave, which is 9
km inland from the coast of the present. Cultural and palaeontological
material was recovered from the sandy floor deposit of the limestone
cave that was dated to 25,500 c. BP to the 19th century. The
first evidence of occupation of the region dating to the Pleistocene and
Holocene indicated that Yellabidde Cave had been occupied intermittently
through the Late Pleistocene and Holocene, which reflected dynamic
human-environment relationships in near-coastal littoral environments of
the present.
There is a long record of human occupation in southwestern Australia,
sites having been discovered in the Leeuwin-Naturaliste and Perth
regions, which demonstrate that there has been occupation from about 45
ka (Balme, 2014; Dortch, 2004; Pearce & Barbetti, 1981). There is
limited comparable evidence of human activity prior to the Holocene in
the northern Swan Coastal Plain (NSCP). Coastal midden sites have been
the focus of archaeologists working on the NSCP (Dortch et
al., 1984; Monks et
al., 2015; Morse, 1982),
though investigations of NSCP caves suggest these sites are able to
provide detailed evidence for past human activities in inland
ecosystems. In this paper Monks et
al. report preliminary
results from investigations that were carried out at a cave site that
has been newly identified in the NSCP, which has contributed to ongoing
research into human interaction in the past with diverse coastal plain
environments.
Located 230 km north-northwest of Perth, Yellabidde Cave (Australian
karst index number 6E-30), is in the country of the Amangu people, who
named it following the discovery of emu (Yellabidde)
eggshell throughout the deposit. The cave is situated about halfway
between 2 chains of lakes in the NSCP, 9 km from the present coastline.
Low limestone ridges are characteristic of the landscape, containing
caves, sandplains, and biodiverse heathland of a type of known as
kwongan (Beard, 1976). The entrance to Yellabidde Cave faces to the
west, at the eastern end of a shallow doline, is easily accessible to
both humans and large mammals.
In the front chamber 2 1x1 m squares that were 9 m apart were excavated,
uncovering well-preserved archaeological and palaeontological deposits.
Visible stratigraphy guided excavation, though to deep stratigraphic
units, we executed an arbitrary excavation units (XUs) 2-2.5 cm thick.
Excavation ceased at 155 cm below the surface (XU65) in Square 1, where
at the base of the northern and eastern walls decomposing limestone was
identified, and at 150 cm below the surface (XU72) in Square 2. In both
squares cultural materials were found, such as stone artefacts,
charcoal, and bone, and recorded
in situ where possible. During section drawing charcoal was also
plotted and collected. Nested 5 mm and 1.5 mm wire mesh sieves were used
to dry-screen all excavated materials on site.
Stratigraphy and radiocarbon age determinations
In square 1, 9 stratigraphic units (SUs) were observed, each of which
was comprised of loosely compacted sandy deposits with angular limestone
clasts, which were mainly distinguished on texture and colour. There
were 9 SUs revealed that were relatively damp and which contained a
large organic component with minimal limestone clast inclusions. No
apparent correlation was found between the sediments in the 2 squares,
which suggested the cultural components formed under different
conditions.
Charcoal samples were selected for radiocarbon dating from charcoal that
had been recovered in situ,
except in the lower SUs, where it was made necessary to date charcoal
from sieve residues. All charcoal samples were AMS dated.
The lowest date from Square 1 (OZT017) was excluded, as it appeared to
be intrusive. The dates obtained from the charcoal indicated that human
occupation of the site was periodic from before the Last Glacial Maximum
(LGM) up to the present. A charcoal sample recovered from sieve residues
in SU9, 133 cm below the surface from Square 1 gave the earliest date of
25,500 cal. BP (OZT016). In Square 2 the deposit evidently accumulated
more rapidly, with 1.5 m of deposit accumulating in less than 8,000
years. Monks et al. suggest
Square 1 probably represents natural sedimentation that was relatively
slow, and topped by occupation surfaces, while sediments in Square 2
were accumulated more rapidly, and were probably washed downslope from
the front of cave.
Results and discussion
Cultural material was found in Yellabidde Cave deposit, which included
burnt and unburnt bone, emu eggshell, stone artefacts, and charcoal,
throughout the deposit. There were also other cultural material, which
included small quantities of ochre and the remains of plants in the
units dating to the Holocene in Square 1, which was associated with
hearth features. The primary raw material for the manufacture of stone
artefacts were quartz and limestone, a few of which appeared to be
complete flakes, though most are fragmented flakes or flaked pieces that
are believed to have resulted from the making or modification of tools.
Bones of terrestrial vertebrates are abundant throughout the deposit,
and analysis of the faunal material is ongoing. The majority of the
faunal material has been found to be comprised of mammals, and it is
indicated by preliminary assessments that there are accumulations by
humans, as well as such as owls, and other carnivores including chuditch
(western quoll), Tasmanian devil, thylacine, and dingo. There is a small
quantity of fish bone and marine mollusc shell that mostly date to the
Middle to Late Holocene, which coincides with the start of midden
formation along the NSCP coastline, and possibly after the midden site
had stopped being used (Dortch et
al., 1984; Monks et al.,
2015).
A sequence of intermittent occupation of Yellabidde Cave from before the
LGM through the terminal Pleistocene and the Holocene is represented by
the archaeological evidence from Yellabidde Cave. It appears the use of
the site was heaviest during the Holocene, though the presence of stone
artefacts as well as other cultural material that are associated with a
date prior to the LGM extends substantially the antiquity of occupation
of the NSCP. Better understanding of the significance and extent of the
deposit from the Late Pleistocene in Yellabidde Cave, as well as the
nature and intensity of the use of land and resources on the NSCP during
the Holocene will be the focus of future analysis.
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Author: M.H.Monroe Email: admin@austhrutime.com Sources & Further reading |