Juukan 2 Rockshelter
Australia · Western Australia, Pilbara
In brief
Excavations have shown that the shelter contains an archaeological record spanning approximately 47000 years. The site was severely damaged by a mining blast in 2020; excavation of the remaining deposits has resumed under the direction of the traditional owners.
What was found?
- 1Plaited human hair
A hair plait identified as part of a belt was found. According to researchers, genetic results support a connection between past users and present-day Pilbara communities.
- 2Marine shell beads
Marine shell beads were recovered from the inland shelter. These indicate that people or objects moved between the coast and inland areas during the Holocene.
- 3Stone tool with resin
A backed stone tool joined with spinifex resin was found. The preserved adhesive provides direct evidence of how tools were attached to handles or other components.
- 4Pointed kangaroo bone
A pointed implement made from a kangaroo lower leg bone was recovered. Researchers regard it as an example of the diverse Pleistocene toolkit.
- 5Tasmanian devil tooth
A tooth fragment from a Tasmanian devil documents the animal's former presence in the Pilbara. Researchers state that the tooth bears no evidence of human cutting, cooking, or consumption.
What does it point to?
Juukan 2 shows that people using the region under changing climatic conditions made use of stone, bone, and plant-based adhesives. Human hair and genetic analyses also make visible the site's historical connection with present-day Indigenous communities.
What did it teach us?
- It showed that the region was also used during the extremely arid phase of the Last Glacial Maximum.
- Preserved resin directly documented composite tool manufacture.
- It added definitive fossil evidence from the Pilbara to the Tasmanian devil's past distribution.
Latest news / selected archive
It was announced in 2024 that a Tasmanian devil tooth, plaited human hair, a seashell bead and quartz artifacts with resin had been found in the deposits excavated again that year.
Record
- Culture
- Ancestors of the Puutu Kunti Kurrama people
- First modern dig
- 2008
- Team / historical
- Michael Slack / Scarp Archaeology; PKKP Aboriginal Corporation ve Terry Hayes
- Coordinates
- -22.6276°, 117.2196°
Sources
- doi.org
- pkkp.org.au
- abc.net.au
- abc.net.au
- Quaternary Science Reviews — Monash University açık erişim arşivi
- UNSW Sydney
Nearby excavations
- Boodie Cave 284 km
- Liang Bua Cave 1,605 km
- Trowulan 1,754 km
- Sangiran Early Man Site 1,827 km
- Leang Bulu Bettue 1,979 km
- Madjedbebe Rock Shelter 2,004 km
- —
- —
- 12.000
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