Archaeologists working on the Dampier archipelago off Australia’s north-west coast have found evidence of stone houses dating back 9000 years — to the end of the last ice age.
Circular stone foundations were discovered on Rosemary Island. The islands and the nearby Burrup Peninsula are known as Murujuga — a word meaning “hip bones sticking out” — in the language of the Ngarluma people.
Professor Jo Mcdonald, director of the centre for rock art research and management at the University of Western Australia, said the excavations showed occupation was maintained throughout the ice age and the period of rapid rise in sea levels that followed. He said the discovery built the case for the area to gain a world heritage listing.
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