Early Australians Used Ancient Rock In Flinders Ranges As Shelter, Ancient Tools And Artifacts Found

The first Aboriginal settlers in Australia used the ancient rock known as Warratyi in the Flinders Ranges as shelter. The archaeologists also discovered tools and artifacts dating around 49,000 years ago.

The description of the findings was published in the journal Nature. The discovery means that Aboriginal people have inhabited the significant parts of Australia in a few millennia.

Giles Hamm, the lead scientist told BBC that it is the southernmost oldest site on the continent. On the other hand, in terms of inland occupation, it's significant geographically because it shows people are moving fast in the continent and its interior part, according to Hamm.

The team also found archaeological treasures in the shelter. These include the oldest found examples of gypsum pigment, stone and hafted tools dated back around 10,000 years younger than any other known occurrence. They excavated 3.3 cubic meters of soil and unearthed 4300 human artifacts and three kilograms of bone. About 70 percent of it was likely from the yellow-footed rock wallaby, according to Sydney Morning Herald.

They also recovered a bone specimen of Diprotodon optatum, which was the biggest marsupial that ever lived. The researchers also found egg shells from a large flightless bird called Genyornis newtoni. These indicate that the ancient dwellers were hunting the local megafauna.

These creatures such as the Diprotodon became extinct probably because of human-hunting or caused by the climate change. This has been a controversial issue in Australian science. On the other hand, the team member Prof. Gavin Prideaux stated that the ancient dwellers were clearly involved. "None of us can imagine a way a Diprotodon could have scaled the cliff up to that cave. "It had to have been brought there by people. More than likely they were eating Diprotodon."

Meanwhile, Professor Sue O'Connor at the Australian National University said that the methodology of this study is as good as it gets. She further said that it's a very significant site and a significant find.