Latest news with #WayneBrennan
The Independent
9 hours ago
- Science
- The Independent
Ice Age cave find upends what we know about Australia's first people
rare artefacts dating to the last ice age at a cave in Australia 's Blue Mountains, providing definitive proof that the rugged ranges were once occupied by the continent's first people. Researchers working with First Nations community members found that Dargan Shelter, a frigid site at an elevation of about 1073m (3280 ft) west of Sydney, was occupied by early humans 20,000 years ago. The findings, published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour, provide the oldest evidence yet of occupation above 700 metres in Australia. It upends previous beliefs that the Blue Mountain ranges were too difficult to occupy during the last ice age, and also hints that such icy landscapes may not have been a hurdle for early human migration. The research also raises further questions about the ingenuity of early indigenous Australians that enabled them to adapt to these inhospitable conditions. During the last Ice Age, frigid conditions extended to the upper reaches of the Blue Mountains above 600 metres with temperatures at least 8.2 degrees cooler than today, and vegetation much sparser than modern times. Little firewood would have been available in this region during the ice age, and water sources would have been frozen through winter, scientists say. 'Until now, we thought the Australian high country was too difficult to occupy during the last ice age,' said archaeologist Wayne Brennan from the University of Sydney. 'Yet, despite the harsh conditions, our research demonstrates people were moving in and through this high elevation landscape, which is approximately 400m above the treeline,' Dr Brennan said. In the latest excavations, archaeologists unearthed nearly 700 artefacts at the cave site dating to the last Ice Age, including features of a hearth. Many of these were prehistoric tools likely used by Australia's first people for cutting or scraping, researchers say. 'It was the excellent state of preservation that enabled us to construct such a robust chronology for Dargan Cave spanning the last 20,000 years,' said Philip Piper, another author of the study. Most of the claystone tools unearthed were made locally, but one seems to have come from the Jenolan Caves area, which is about 50km (31 miles) away from the Dargan Shelter site, indicating ancient people were travelling from the north and south. While the Blue Mountains range is a UNESCO World Heritage-listed site recognised for its plant and animal diversity, there have been no safeguards to protect the cultural heritage of its indigenous people, researchers say. 'Our people have walked, lived and thrived in the Blue Mountains for thousands of years and we knew the cave was there,' said study author and Dharug woman Leanne Watson Redpath. 'It is not only a tangible connection to our ancestors who used it as a meeting place for sharing, storytelling and survival, but is a part of our cultural identity. We need to respect and protect our heritage for the benefit of all Australians,' she said. Scientists are still unsure which early people accessed the mountains during the last Ice Age. They suspect multiple indigenous groups may have been connected to the region. 'We hope that by combining our traditional knowledge with scientific research, we can protect these invaluable storehouses of our history for generations to come,' Dr Brennan said.
Daily Mail
17 hours ago
- Science
- Daily Mail
Shocking discovery inside one of Australia's oldest Ice Age caves dating back over 20,000 years
Archaeologists have unearthed extraordinary evidence proving one of Australia's oldest caves was occupied by humans during the Ice Age. Scientists uncovered Ice Age artefacts deep inside Dargan Shelter - a cave 1,100metres above sea level in NSW 's Blue Mountains region - challenging long-held assumptions about ancient human life in Australia. Dargan Shelter is now believed to be the oldest site at high elevation with evidence of repeated human activity and adaption to environments on the Australian continent. The cave is around 25metres high, 22metres wide and about 20metres deep. Up to 693 stone artefacts were found including stone tools and a sandstone grinding slab that may have been used for shaping wooden items or bone points for spears. The discoveries dated as far back as 20,000 years and were unearthed after the team dug more than two metres down into the frozen layers of the site. Archaeologists from the Australian Museum, the University of Sydney and the Australian National University, along with First Nations community members, led three digs between April 2022 and March 2023. Gomeroi knowledge holder and First Nations mentor in archaeology at the University of Sydney, Wayne Brennan, initiated the research project. The discovery proved First Nations ancestors navigated and occupied high-altitude environments during the Ice Age, Mr Brennan and Australian Museum Archeologist and lead author of the research paper Dr Amy Mosig Way, said. 'Until now, we thought the Australian high country was too difficult to occupy during the last Ice Age,' Dr Way wrote in a newsletter for the University of Sydney. 'Yet, despite the harsh conditions, our research demonstrates people were moving in and through this high elevation landscape, which is approximately 400metres above the tree line.' The artefacts had been kept in an 'excellent state of preservation', with the team measuring the pieces against the date of charcoal from old firepits buried at the same level to estimate the age of each item. With this method, the scientists were able to determine the sandstone grinding slab, which had linear grooves, had been used more than 13,000 years ago. Researchers also found a stone believed to have been used as an axe. Analysis proved the piece of basalt was used to crack open hard seeds or nuts dating back to about 9,000 years ago. First Nations custodians and proud Dharug women, Leanne Watson Redpath and Erin Wilkins said the discovery symbolised a tangible connection to their ancestors. Ms Wilkins said while there was no way of identifying which groups accessed the site during the Ice Age, it was likely multiple groups frequented the cave. She added local custodians consider the Dargan Shelter as representing a family space with 'high cultural significance'. Mr Brennan said he hoped the discovery would help protect First Nations people's cultural heritage. 'The Blue Mountains is a UNESCO World Heritage listed site for the protection of flora and fauna but there are no safeguards for our cultural heritage, he said. 'We hope that by combining our traditional knowledge with scientific research, we can protect these invaluable storehouses of our history for generations to come.'
The Age
a day ago
- Science
- The Age
Inside Australia's oldest and coldest short-stay accommodation
Long before Blaxland, Wentworth and Lawson crossed NSW's Blue Mountains, First Nations peoples braved its frozen ground in the last ice age to socialise or trade. They would stop for a night or two and catch up with old friends, having climbed above the treeline and down gullies to seek cold comfort in a cathedral-like cave that archaeologists say is the oldest high mountain site continually occupied by humans in Australia. Australian research published in Nature Human Behaviour on Tuesday has found evidence that 20,000 years ago, groups of people stopped in the cave – Dargan Shelter near Lithgow, NSW – to warm up in front of a fire, make tools, discuss business or do some matchmaking on the way to a corroboree in the mountains. 'It was short-stay accommodation ... on the way to business,' said University of Sydney archaeologist, cave art specialist and Gomeroi man, Wayne Brennan. It's still being used that way today. Located on a private property not far from Lithgow, known as Hatters Hideout Cave and Lodge, the cave is sometimes rented to small groups of campers. Owner Mark O'Carrigan said: 'It's the original Airbnb.' The archaeological dig found evidence of human occupation from the Late Pleistocene (last ice age) to the recent past. This included 693 artefacts, and faded rock art including a stencil of a child-sized hand that is still visible. The findings upend conventional wisdom. Far from inhospitable glacial landscapes stopping First Nations people from travelling, as previously thought, global research has found people travelled and gathered in high-altitude sites (such as Dargan at 1073 metres elevation) where water would have been frozen for much of the year. The lead author of the paper, University of Sydney archaeology lecturer Dr Amy Mosig Way, said Dargan is a significant site. Funded by the Australian Museum Foundation, the research was initiated by Brennan and Way to bring archaeologists and Indigenous knowledge keepers together.
Sydney Morning Herald
a day ago
- Science
- Sydney Morning Herald
Inside Australia's oldest and coldest short-stay accommodation
Long before Blaxland, Wentworth and Lawson crossed NSW's Blue Mountains, First Nations peoples braved its frozen ground in the last ice age to socialise or trade. They would stop for a night or two and catch up with old friends, having climbed above the treeline and down gullies to seek cold comfort in a cathedral-like cave that archaeologists say is the oldest high mountain site continually occupied by humans in Australia. Australian research published in Nature Human Behaviour on Tuesday has found evidence that 20,000 years ago, groups of people stopped in the cave – Dargan Shelter near Lithgow, NSW – to warm up in front of a fire, make tools, discuss business or do some matchmaking on the way to a corroboree in the mountains. 'It was short-stay accommodation ... on the way to business,' said University of Sydney archaeologist, cave art specialist and Gomeroi man, Wayne Brennan. It's still being used that way today. Located on a private property not far from Lithgow, known as Hatters Hideout Cave and Lodge, the cave is sometimes rented to small groups of campers. Owner Mark O'Carrigan said: 'It's the original Airbnb.' The archaeological dig found evidence of human occupation from the Late Pleistocene (last ice age) to the recent past. This included 693 artefacts, and faded rock art including a stencil of a child-sized hand that is still visible. The findings upend conventional wisdom. Far from inhospitable glacial landscapes stopping First Nations people from travelling, as previously thought, global research has found people travelled and gathered in high-altitude sites (such as Dargan at 1073 metres elevation) where water would have been frozen for much of the year. The lead author of the paper, University of Sydney archaeology lecturer Dr Amy Mosig Way, said Dargan is a significant site. Funded by the Australian Museum Foundation, the research was initiated by Brennan and Way to bring archaeologists and Indigenous knowledge keepers together.
