- Ancient Aussie mystery finally solved
- Ring formations created by Indigenous communities
A 1,400-year-old archaeology mystery has just been solved and it’s given researchers a deeper insight into Aboriginal culture.
Scientists say bizarre-looking rings on the outskirts of Melbourne have nothing to do with aliens, but were created by the local Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung people just as the Mycenaean era began in ancient Greece.
The large rings, found in Sunbury, have long been a mystery just like similar rings that have been found in the UK and Cambodia.
It’s believed ancient people would dig out and put together earth that would then form large circles measuring hundreds of metres in diameter.
It is estimated that more than 400 rings once existed in NSW and Queensland, but only about 100 remain today after many were destroyed following European colonisation.
They also have significant cultural and historical importance to Aboriginal groups.
Elders of the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung culture explained that they reflect on the occupation, colonisation, self-determination, adaptation and resilience of the people.
The riddle of the mysterious rings found around Australia has been solved
Sunbury locals have often wondered what the bizarre-looking rings in their neighborhood were
Scientists behind the study, published in Australian Archaeology, said while previous research indicated the rings were sacred locations, not much from cultural values and landscape perspectives had been documented.
They now claim that understanding the earth rings involved knowledge of the Aboriginal culture’s insight into the land and the effect that their ancestors had on the region.
Aboriginal people of the time cleared land and plants while scraping soil and rock to create the ring mound.
Stones were arranged by layering rocks, as the published findings found that campfires would be lit, while stone tools would be used to move things in the ring.
One theory is that they could have been used on plants and animals and were also potentially being used to scar human skin in ceremonies.
The scientists said while the ‘Sunbury Rings’ and its purpose may have faded, they still offer an understanding of the cultural importance of the area, which has been passed down through generations.
The researchers claimed the results brought together Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung people’s understandings of the biik wurrda cultural landscape.
They claimed it also showed archaeological evidence for cultural fire, knapping, movement, trampling, and tool-use.
In 2020, archaeologists discovered the oldest known underwater Aboriginal archaeological sites off the Pilbara coast in Western Australia.
Hundreds of stone artifacts, including grinding stones and mullers, were found at depths of up to 2.4 metres.
The sites were submerged by rising seas between 18,000 and 8,000 years ago.
