College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia.
ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, James Cook University, Cairns, Australia.
PLoS One. 2020 Jul 1;15(7):e0233912. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0233912. eCollection 2020.
This article reports Australia's first confirmed ancient underwater archaeological sites from the continental shelf, located off the Murujuga coastline in north-western Australia. Details on two underwater sites are reported: Cape Bruguieres, comprising > 260 recorded lithic artefacts at depths down to -2.4 m below sea level, and Flying Foam Passage where the find spot is associated with a submerged freshwater spring at -14 m. The sites were discovered through a purposeful research strategy designed to identify underwater targets, using an iterative process incorporating a variety of aerial and underwater remote sensing techniques and diver investigation within a predictive framework to map the submerged landscape within a depth range of 0-20 m. The condition and context of the lithic artefacts are analysed in order to unravel their depositional and taphonomic history and to corroborate their in situ position on a pre-inundation land surface, taking account of known geomorphological and climatic processes including cyclone activity that could have caused displacement and transportation from adjacent coasts. Geomorphological data and radiometric dates establish the chronological limits of the sites and demonstrate that they cannot be later than 7000 cal BP and 8500 cal BP respectively, based on the dates when they were finally submerged by sea-level rise. Comparison of underwater and onshore lithic assemblages shows differences that are consistent with this chronological interpretation. This article sets a foundation for the research strategies and technologies needed to identify archaeological targets at greater depth on the Australian continental shelf and elsewhere, building on the results presented. Emphasis is also placed on the need for legislation to better protect and manage underwater cultural heritage on the 2 million square kilometres of drowned landscapes that were once available for occupation in Australia, and where a major part of its human history must lie waiting to be discovered.
本文报道了澳大利亚大陆架上首批经确认的古代水下考古遗址，这些遗址位于澳大利亚西北部的默鲁朱加海岸外。报道了两个水下遗址的详细信息：布鲁热尔角，有超过 260 件记录在案的石器工具，位于海平面以下-2.4 米处；飞行泡沫海峡，发现地点与一个淹没的淡水泉有关，位于-14 米处。这些遗址是通过有目的的研究策略发现的，旨在通过迭代过程，利用各种航空和水下遥感技术，以及在预测框架内潜水员调查，识别水下目标，以绘制 0-20 米深度范围内的水下景观。对石器工具的状况和背景进行了分析，以揭示其沉积和埋藏历史，并确认其在淹没前陆地表面的原位位置，同时考虑到已知的地貌和气候过程，包括可能导致从邻近海岸发生位移和运输的旋风活动。地貌数据和放射性年代测定确定了遗址的年代限制，并证明它们分别不能晚于 7000 年 cal BP 和 8500 年 cal BP，这是基于海平面上升最终淹没它们的时间。水下和陆上石器组合的比较显示出与这种年代解释一致的差异。本文为在澳大利亚大陆架和其他地区更深处识别考古目标所需的研究策略和技术奠定了基础，同时也借鉴了所提出的成果。本文还强调了需要立法更好地保护和管理 200 万平方公的淹没景观的水下文化遗产，这些景观曾经可供人类居住，而澳大利亚的大部分人类历史一定有待发现。
