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Pré-Publication, Document De Travail Année : 1978

The 1978 season of the Franco-Australian Quaternary Project in the Murchison Basin, Western Australia

Résumé

The test trench at WALGA has yielded probably two distinct industries, a development seen in other Australian archaeological sequences. Thus the upper "microlithic" zone contains an industry made of small flakes with a strong component of adze flakes, backed tools and truncated tools. This zone is separated from the lower layers by a deep incutting filled with a practically sterile red sand. The assemblages in the lower layers are characterized by bigger tools, bigger flakes a scarcity of adze flakes and an absence of backed tools. These apparent typological and size difference between the artifact assemblages from the upper zone and the layers below the erosional feature suggests that a significant time gap occurs between the upper and lower assemblages. On the typological and stratigraphical estimates it is suggested that the lower layers date to the late Pleistocene. At BILLIBILONG there appear to be two very different industries. One is microlithic, almost entirely made of quartz (layers 1, 2 and 3) and is found in almost undisturbed position in colluvial deposits. It is also fairly recent. We have two radiocarbon dates for layers 2 and 3: Layer 2 : Ly 1810. 2030 BP ± 330. Interval at 95% probability: 2690 BP t0 1370 BP. Layer 3 : Ly 1809. ta 3330 BP. 3590 BP ± 130. Interval at 95% probability: 3850 BP The second industry is "macrolithic" (layers 4, 5 and 6) and is found scattered in fluviatïle deposits. No stone artefact is known from layer 7. No microlithic tool has been recovered below layer 3. The relative importance of the soils developped on layer 4 and 5, and probably 6 (taking into account extensive erosion)suggests a considerable time depth for the sequence. Wether this time depth extends beyond the age of any other archaeological material known in Australia is another question which in the absence of datable material in layer 5 and 6 requires further detailed geological studies.
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Dates et versions

halshs-00558506 , version 1 (21-01-2011)

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  • HAL Id : halshs-00558506 , version 1

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François Bordes, Charles Dortch, Jean-Paul Raynal, Claude Thibault. The 1978 season of the Franco-Australian Quaternary Project in the Murchison Basin, Western Australia. 1978. ⟨halshs-00558506⟩

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