The first archaeological evidence for death by spearing in Australia

Josephine J. McDonald; Denise Donlon; Judith H. Field; Richard L.K. Fullagar; Joan Brenner Coltrain; Peter Mitchell; Mark Rawson

doi:10.1017/S0003598X00095971

The first archaeological evidence for death by spearing in Australia

Josephine J. McDonald, Denise Donlon, Judith H. Field, Richard L.K. Fullagar, Joan Brenner Coltrain, Peter Mitchell, Mark Rawson

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

60 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

An Aboriginal man done to death on the dunes 4000 years ago was recently discovered during excavations beneath a bus shelter in Barrabeen on Sydney's northern beaches. The presence of backed microliths and the evidence for trauma in the bones showed that he had been killed with stone-tipped spears. Now we know how these backed points were used. A punishment ritual is implied by analogies with contact-period observations made in the eighteenth century AD.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	877-885
Number of pages	9
Journal	Antiquity
Volume	81
Issue number	314
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1017/S0003598X00095971
Publication status	Published - Dec 2007
Externally published	Yes

Keywords

Aborigine
Australia
Microliths
Ritual punishment
Spears
Sydney

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10.1017/S0003598X00095971Licence: In Copyright

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AU - Mitchell, Peter

AU - Rawson, Mark

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AB - An Aboriginal man done to death on the dunes 4000 years ago was recently discovered during excavations beneath a bus shelter in Barrabeen on Sydney's northern beaches. The presence of backed microliths and the evidence for trauma in the bones showed that he had been killed with stone-tipped spears. Now we know how these backed points were used. A punishment ritual is implied by analogies with contact-period observations made in the eighteenth century AD.

KW - Aborigine

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KW - Microliths

KW - Ritual punishment

KW - Spears

KW - Sydney

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JO - Antiquity

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ER -

The first archaeological evidence for death by spearing in Australia

Abstract

Keywords

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