Coolbool Creek is an archaeological site near the Wakool River in New South Wales, Australia. It is about halfway between Swan Hill and Deniliquin.[1] The site is near Doherty's Hut at Coobool Crossing, although the exact spot is unknown.[2] G. M. Black found 126 skulls at the site in 1950.[1] It has been difficult to give an exact age for the skulls, but one has been dated to 14,300 years ago.[1] Some of the skulls also show artificial cranial deformation.[3] The age, location, and deformities make the site similar to another Pleistocene site at Kow Swamp.[2][4] Some scientists have said that this shows they were part of the same population, but others have disagreed.[1] Because Coolbool Creek skulls were found on the surface it is difficult to date them, and other scientists have argued that they might be much older.[1]
The skulls were kept at the University of Melbourne until 1984. They were returned to the local Aboriginal communities and reburied.[2]
References edit
- ^ a b c d e Monroe, M. H. (2011). "Coobool Creek". Australia: The Land Where Time Began. Retrieved 7 April 2013.
- ^ a b c Brown, P. (2000). "Coobool Creek". www-personal.une.edu.au. Archived from the original on 27 April 2013. Retrieved 7 April 2013.
- ^ Durband, A. (2013). "Artificial cranial deformation in Pleistocene Austrakians - The Coolbool Creek Sample". J Hum Evol. 54: 795–813. doi:10.1016/j.jhevol.2007.10.013. PMID 18243276.
- ^ "The spread of people to Australia". Australian Museum. 2013. Retrieved 7 April 2013.
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