Thefull results of the excavationwere published for the first time earlier this month inQuaternary Science Reviews.
Where is Juukan and what happened there?
The Juukan 2 rockshelter is one of the caves that make up this system.
The excavation team at Juukan Gorge in 2014.© Courtesy of Scarp Archaeology and PKKP Aboriginal Corporation
Today the area is part of a Rio Tinto iron ore mine.
As widely reported in May 2020, the Juukan 2 rockshelter wasdestroyed during mine expansion activities.
The destruction led to widespread global condemnation andshone a spotlighton Western Australias substandard heritage protection legislation.
The excavation team at Juukan 2 in 2014. Back, L–R: J. Ashburton (deceased), C. Ashburton (deceased), T. Smirke (deceased), Harold Ashburton, R.J. Mckay, Terry Hayes. Middle, L–R: Jarrod Brindley, Martin Cooper (deceased). Front, L-R: W. Boone Law, Michael Slack.
What is so significant about Juukan?
Juukan Gorge is named after a Puutu Kunti Kurrama ancestor.
It is extremely significant both for cultural and scientific reasons.
A shaped piece of stone that would likely have been glued to a handle with spinifex resin, excavated in 2014.
Juukan is about 311 miles (500 km) from the coast today.
This means people living around Juukan were adept at living in the desert.
Archaeologists have found very little direct evidence from this period at any other sites.
The sharpened kangaroo bone with ochre on the tip found in 2014.
Often just a handful of artefacts is regarded as enough evidence to show people used an archaeological site.
Juukan 2 also held amazing evidence of animals over the ages.
Among this material was a plait of human hair dated to around 3,000 years old.
New excavations at Juukan 2 are now in progress.
The material we found was extremely well preserved.
We dont know what this was used for, but the ochre may indicate a ritual function.
What now?
After the blast in 2020, we began to re-excavate the site.
Beneath the debris we found traces of organic material, and then remnants of the cave floor.
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