Radiocarbon dates for coastal midden sites at Long Point in the Coorong, South Australia

This paper presents 29 radiocarbon dates from eight surface concentrations of shell and 10 test-pits across four shell middens at Long Point in the Coorong, South Australia. Results indicate that occupation of these sites was confined to the late Holocene period, post-2500 cal. BP. With the exceptio...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inAustralian archaeology no. 77; pp. 141 - 147
Main Authors St George, Claire, Wallis, Lynley A., Keys, Benjamin, Wilson, Christopher, Wright, Duncan, Fallon, Stewart, Sumner, Major (Moogie), Hemming, Steve
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Australian Archaeological Association Inc 01.12.2013
Subjects
Archaeological sites
Archaeological surveys
Archaeology
Charcoal
Excavations
Field archaeology
Middens
Radiocarbon dating
Research universities
Shell middens
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Summary:This paper presents 29 radiocarbon dates from eight surface concentrations of shell and 10 test-pits across four shell middens at Long Point in the Coorong, South Australia. Results indicate that occupation of these sites was confined to the late Holocene period, post-2500 cal. BP. With the exception of one midden, which appears not to have been used after 500—300 cal. BP, all other sites suggest continued use until the recent past. This pattern fits with a proposed period of population expansion and intensification of resource use in the Coorong, along with more general changes known to have occurred in parts of coastal Australia during the mid- to late Holocene.
ISSN:0312-2417
2470-0363