Tasmanian devil tooth found during archaeological dig North of Perth
May 4, 2024 11:42 PM Subscribe
Tasmanian devil tooth found during archaeological dig 1000 kilometres north of Perth. The tooth could provide further historical evidence of inter-community trading in Western Australia and was unearthed in Juukan Gorge, which made headlines in 2020 when its rock shelters were damaged by Rio Tinto blasts.
"There is no physical evidence that [Tasmanian devils] ever lived in the Pilbara, and the last evidence of devils living in Western Australia was in the South West around 3000 years ago," he said.
It's time to revise that old song: "The devil went down to Georgia up to Perth."
More seriously, trade networks over vast distances shouldn't be any surprise any more, though it's good to get the additional confirmation. In the Americas, people carried and traded or gifted items over incredible distances, both north-south and east-west, and the precolonial societies had features that facilitated long distance travel (like norms around welcoming visitors, and the continuity of "clan" affiliation across cultures and languages). I know much less about precolonial Australia but I believe there were similarities in terms of facilitating movement.
This is neat to read about, though it is frustrating that this is happening after the mining badly damaged the resources.
posted by Dip Flash at 6:48 AM on May 5
More seriously, trade networks over vast distances shouldn't be any surprise any more, though it's good to get the additional confirmation. In the Americas, people carried and traded or gifted items over incredible distances, both north-south and east-west, and the precolonial societies had features that facilitated long distance travel (like norms around welcoming visitors, and the continuity of "clan" affiliation across cultures and languages). I know much less about precolonial Australia but I believe there were similarities in terms of facilitating movement.
This is neat to read about, though it is frustrating that this is happening after the mining badly damaged the resources.
posted by Dip Flash at 6:48 AM on May 5
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posted by GenjiandProust at 4:03 AM on May 5