M1 - Learner Manual

Archaeology is the study of human history and prehistory through excavation and analysis of artifacts and the material remains. Remains can be any objects that people created, modified, or used. Portable remains are usually called ‘artifacts’, and include tools, clothing, and decorations. Non-portable remains, such as pyramids or post-holes, are called ‘features’.

Archaeologists use artifacts and features to learn how people lived in specific times and places. They want to know what these people’s daily lives were like, how they were governed, how they interacted with each other, and what they believed and valued. Sometimes, artifacts and features provide the only clues about an ancient community or civilization. As prehistoric civilizations did not leave behind written records, we cannot read about them.

https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/archaeology

Lake Mungo is a dried-up lake and archaeological site located in Central West New South Wales in Mungo National Park. It is one of approximately 17 lake beds dating back thousands of years. The Willandra Lakes region was designated as a World Heritage site in 1981.

The site became one of the world’s most important archaeological sites when a geologist named Bowler unearthed the remains of a young Aboriginal woman in 1968 who became known as Mungo Lady. The skeletal remains indicated she had been burnt prior to burial thus generating discussion as to whether she was the oldest evidence of cremation and burial.

Six years later Bowler discovered the skeletal remains of a man in the area as well who became known as Mungo Man. Both skeletons after carbon dating were estimated to be 40,000 years old and believed to be the oldest human remains found in Australia to that date.