Ancient Pottery Unveils Hidden Trade Routes in Australia Centuries Before Colonization
Many shattered fragments of pottery ranging from 2,000 to 3,000 years old have been excavated on a gusty island within the Great Barrier Reef — marking the earliest instance of ceramics found in Australia.
The remains, discovered just under a meter beneath the surface by Traditional Owners and archaeologists, indicate a millennium-old tradition of ceramic production by Indigenous peoples at Jiigurru (Lizard Island).
Crafted using clay and sand obtained locally, this pottery dates back millennia prior to the arrival of British colonizers in Australia in 1788. During this era, various island groups across the area were engaged in ceramic production as well.
These discoveries not only usher in a new era for the study of Australian, Melanesian, and Pacific archaeology but also debunk colonialist stereotypes by underscoring the sophistication and ingenuity of Aboriginal societies. says lead author Ian McNiven, an archaeologist at Monash University in Australia.
Spending more than two years under the scorching sun, coated with layers of salt, sea mist, and hardened perspiration, the group comprising scientists and members from both the Dingaal and Ngurrumungu Aboriginal communities carefully unearthed a substantial shell midden reaching approximately 2.4 meters (around 8 feet). Their diligent efforts yielded fragments of ceramics alongside remnants such as mollusk shells, fish skeletons, turtle bones, and burnt botanical matter.
Fragments of broken ceramics, also referred to as sherds, had previously been discovered at Jiigurru in 2006 within an intertidal lagoon. However, archaeologists remained uncertain about their age or origin. who made them The daily tides had worn down the ceramic fragments over time, making it difficult to determine their age. This left investigators merely with an intriguing suspicion that indigenous ceramics could potentially be discovered at Jiigurru someday.
McNiven and his team continued their excavation but failed to uncover additional traces of pottery from an adjacent ancient shell midden estimated to be around 4,000 years old.
In 2017, things took a turn for the better. A member of the team who was an archaeology student discovered the initial shard of ceramic, buried merely 40 centimetres beneath the ground.
James Cook University archaeologist Sean Ulm recounted to aynur1015.blogspot.com how he and Ian exchanged looks of astonishment from opposite sides of the pit.
We halted the digging and meticulously recorded our discovery. Extensive debates continued well past midnight regarding the implications of this find and how we ought to proceed with the excavation moving forward.
Radiocarbon dating revealed the deepest layers of the excavated midden had been deposited some 6,510 to 5,790 years ago, making Jiigurru the earliest offshore island occupied on the northern Great Barrier Reef.
The occupation at the site significantly ramped up approximately 3,000 years ago, according to the research team’s findings. This period was marked by an accumulation of seashells and the deposition of the oldest pottery fragments discovered within the refuse heap.
According to the team's dating analysis, for roughly another thousand years up until around two millennia ago, ceramics were created, utilized, and then disposed of by indigenous populations. This finding positions the Jiigurru ceramics as the earliest known pottery in Australia.
They are hundreds of years older than two dozen pottery fragments. uncovered on an island further north In the Torres Strait, located between the northernmost point of the Australian mainland at Cape York and Papua New Guinea, as McNiven and associates outlined in 2006.
The Jiigurru pottery was likewise crafted locally. Tests showed that the shards consisted of clay mixed with components such as quartz, calcareous sand, and feldspar, which closely resemble the composition found in beach sands collected on the island. Additionally, the study concluded that these pieces came from smaller, thinner-walled containers designed to be more resistant to cracking compared to bulkier pots and easier for transportation due to their lightweight nature.
We believe that the forebears of today’s Traditional Owners of Jiigurru participated in an extensive trade network" which encompassed cultural interactions with pottery-producing communities from Papua New Guinea. says Ulm.
The inhabitants of Jiigurru were seafarers who "were skilled at crafting pottery and produced it locally," as stated by Ulm. explains , probably exchanging technical knowledge, products, and concepts with other island communities.
This understanding of pottery-making was subsequently lost due to communities being uprooted and scattered as a result of British colonization.
However, discovering these skillfully crafted ceramics from thousands of years past might assist nearby communities in rejuvenating the tradition and safeguarding Jiigurru for generations ahead. This would offer concrete proof of their inhabitation of the island, which is otherwise documented solely through oral history.
This excavation marked the initial collaboration between the local Indigenous community of Jiigurru and archaeologists, aiming to rediscover the historical legacy intertwined with their traditional territories.
"Every bit of knowledge we gain helps us tell the story of Country," Ngurrumungu Elder Brian Cobus said in a statement Studies such as these enable us to gain deeper insights into our land and teach us how to care for it properly.
The study has been released in Quaternary Science Reviews .
