Other Sciences

Ancient Aboriginal heritage preserved on cliffs along the Murray River

Site conditions on the Pyke River cliff and an example of an eroded midden lens contained within the Woolinen Formation deposits above carbonate paleosols (MR = Murray River). Credit: Radiocarbon (2024). DOI: 10.1017/RDC.2024.99

A new study by Flinders University researchers, carried out in collaboration with the River Murray and Mallee Aboriginal Corporation (RMMAC), is located on a cliff top in the area between Morgan and Overland Corner in South Australia. Recorded ancient ruins.

Dr Craig Westel, from Flinders University’s School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, said: “The ages of the sites, measured using radiocarbon dating, range from over 11,000 years old to more recent ones.”

Co-author Professor Amy Roberts said: “This study shows that sites located along the Murray Escarpment contain much of the earliest evidence of Aboriginal people living along the Murray River corridor in South Australia. “This confirms previous evidence that it has been preserved.”

The oldest known Murray River site was recorded on a cliff line near Renmark during early research by Flinders and RMMAC and was almost 30,000 years old.

“It’s always great to see scientific evidence that our people were here many years ago. This solidifies what we know as Aboriginal people. culture is about survival,” says Cheryl Giles, community representative for the River Murray and Murray Aboriginal Corporation. .

However, the authors point out that many of the sites have eroded away on cliff edges or are preserved in roadside reserves or parcels of private land.

“The conservation of these important and valuable clifftop sites remains precarious, making it urgent to protect the remaining sites,” co-author Dr Flinders said. The candidate is Mark Fairhead.

They will inform the public and local landowners about the importance of these sites to ensure this heritage is preserved and create a deeper understanding of Aboriginal life in Australia’s largest river system. I claim that it is necessary.

The paper “Archaeology at the margins: A radiocarbon chronology of Aboriginal clifftop sites on the Murray River in South Australia” was published in the journal Radiocarbon.

Further information: Craig Westell et al., ‘Archaeology at the margins: a radiocarbon chronology of Aboriginal clifftop sites on the Murray River, South Australia’, Radiocarbon (2024). DOI: 10.1017/RDC.2024.99

Provided by Flinders University

Citation: Clifftop sites along Murray River preserve ancient Aboriginal heritage (7 November 2024) https://phys.org/news/2024-11-cliff-sites-ancient-aboriginal- Retrieved November 7, 2024 from heritage.html

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