World Atlas Core Records · Technology

Madjedbebe

c. 65,000-50,000 years ago for early layers · Australia

Excavated stone tools, pigments and plant-processing evidence at Madjedbebe contribute to the early history of people in Sahul within Mirarr Country.

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AI-generated evidence-guided visualization related to Madjedbebe, c. 65,000-50,000 years ago for early layers. — AI-generated respectful visualization based on the cited record and period context; it does not depict restricted Mirarr knowledge and is not documentary evidence.

How the setting appeared

A sandstone shelter overlooked wetlands, woodland and changing coastlines within a landscape very different from modern national borders.

Agent citation CIT-CORE-MADJEDBEBECIT-CORE169-MADJEDBEBE-UQ Setting and material context · 2 registered source URLs · registration is not semantic proof · audit HEM-AUDIT-20260812

How people lived

Communities used detailed knowledge of plants, stone, fire and water; cultural authority for the place remains with Mirarr people.

Agent citation CIT-CORE-MADJEDBEBECIT-CORE169-MADJEDBEBE-UQ Lifeways and community · 2 registered source URLs · registration is not semantic proof · audit HEM-AUDIT-20260812

How people worked

Ground and flaked stone, ochre preparation and plant processing appear in early deposits, though individual tasks must remain layer-specific.

Agent citation CIT-CORE-MADJEDBEBECIT-CORE169-MADJEDBEBE-UQ Work, tools and exchange · 2 registered source URLs · registration is not semantic proof · audit HEM-AUDIT-20260812

Belief, ritual and worship

The archaeological record does not authorize outsiders to reconstruct restricted Mirarr spiritual knowledge.

Agent citation CIT-CORE-MADJEDBEBECIT-CORE169-MADJEDBEBE-UQ Belief, ritual and evidence limits · 2 registered source URLs · registration is not semantic proof · audit HEM-AUDIT-20260812

World-atlas stage: Homo sapiens and migrations
Region: Oceania · Australia
Languages and scripts: Gundjeihmi
Important people: No individual is centered in this record
Events and changes: Optically stimulated luminescence dating published in 2017 CE placed the earliest excavated occupation horizon at approximately 65,000 years ago, with an uncertainty range around that estimate.; Early deposits contained stone tools, ground pigments and plant-processing evidence, supporting diverse technological activity during initial occupation phases.; Occupation continued through major environmental changes from the Pleistocene into the Holocene rather than representing a single brief visit.; The site remains within Mirarr Country, and archaeological research has proceeded with Mirarr Traditional Owner authority and collaboration in the 21st century CE.
Evidence confidence: Important peer-reviewed evidence; early chronology and depositional interpretation continue to be tested.

Agent citation CIT-CORE-MADJEDBEBECIT-CORE169-MADJEDBEBE-UQ Dates, place, language, people, events and confidence · 2 registered source URLs · registration is not semantic proof · audit HEM-AUDIT-20260812

Historical geography

A dated anchor, not an exact border

The local map uses modern coastlines only for orientation. The marker identifies this record's geographic anchor, not the full reach of a community or polity.

Map geometry loads only when requested. Modern outlines are orientation only; historical geography and identities changed through time.

Agent citation CIT-CORE-MADJEDBEBECIT-CORE169-MADJEDBEBE-UQ Historical-geography anchor and stated limits · 2 registered source URLs · registration is not semantic proof · audit HEM-AUDIT-20260812

Evidence register

Guides used for this record

Each registered source ID is paired with its institutional URL for independent checking. Source count is transparent, and duplicate URLs count only once.

CIT-CORE-MADJEDBEBE

Madjedbebe: record evidence guide

https://www.nature.com/articles/nature22968

nature.com

CIT-CORE169-MADJEDBEBE-UQ

Kakadu Find Confirms Earliest Australian Occupation

https://news.uq.edu.au/2017-07-20-kakadu-find-confirms-earliest-australian-occupation

The University of Queensland

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