Boodie Cave

Australia · Western Australia, Barrow Island

CaveUnknown
Approximate period48,000 BCE — 5,000 BCELate Pleistocene–Middle Holocene See on the map ↓

In brief

The 2013–2015 excavations provided evidence that the cave first came into use approximately 50000 years ago. The dates of use are approximate; the cave was abandoned approximately 7000 years ago as rising seas separated Barrow Island from the mainland.

What was found?

  • 1Scaphopoda shell beads

    27 tubular shell beads were found in the cave. Traces of wear and polish show that they were used strung together.

  • 2Melo shell knives

    Knives and broken fragments made from the shells of Melo marine snails were recovered. Analyses reveal that shell was a raw material used over a long period to make cutting tools.

  • 3Flaked stone artifacts

    Flaked stone finds were recovered from the layers. These allow tool production and activities during different periods of the cave's use to be investigated.

  • 4Marine animal remains

    Marine animal remains were identified among the food refuse. Changes in their quantities over time are associated with changes in the distance between the cave and the coast.

  • 5Charcoal remains

    Charcoal from the cultural layers was used to date the cave's use. Together with other finds, it contributed to establishing the long occupation sequence.

What does it point to?

Boodie Cave documents the lives of communities that continued to exploit marine resources as the coastline changed. The use of shellfish for food and their shells as cutting tools and ornaments shows that the same environmental resource served different purposes.

What did it teach us?

  1. It showed that marine resources were carried from the coast to the cave even as the distance to the coast changed.
  2. Manufacturing and wear traces on the beads revealed concrete details of prehistoric personal adornment.
  3. Shell knives enabled early tool technology to be assessed alongside raw materials other than stone.

Latest news / selected archive

A study published in 2024 revealed traces of the manufacture and use of 27 seashell beads recovered from the cave and dating to 13500–10600 calendar years ago.

Record

Culture
Aboriginal communities of northwestern Australia
First modern dig
2013
Team / historical
Peter Veth / Batı Avustralya Üniversitesi, Barrow Island Archaeology Project
Coordinates
-20.7200°, 115.3900°

Sources

  1. research-repository.uwa.edu.au
  2. research-repository.uwa.edu.au
  3. sciencedirect.com
  4. Journal of Anthropological Archaeology — James Cook University arşivi

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