The first-ever underwater aboriginal sites discovered!

The first-ever underwater aboriginal archaeological sites, dating back thousands of years, have been discovered off the coast of Australia. Researchers are of the view that there are more to be discovered.

As per the reports, these discoveries were made in the Dampier Archipelago through a series of geophysical and archeological surveys, as part of the Deep History of Sea Country Project, which was funded through the Australian Research Council's Discovery Project Scheme.
According to a study that was published recently, many settlements were built in dry land areas at the end of the Ice Age, but got submerged in the due course of time when the water level rose.
Reportedly, divers were sent to explore the probable sites, and used a number of techniques, such as underwater and aerial remote sensing. As a result, they discovered two sites off northwestern Australia, the first in Cape Bruguieres Channel, from where they found artifacts that are at least around 7000 years old. Further, from the second site in Flying Foam Passage, they discovered a single artefact, which is 8500 years old.
Most of the artefacts discovered had marine life growing over them; however, the team was able to classify a number of stone tools, including two possible grinding stones.

The discovery reveal that these exploratory techniques can be beneficial in detecting archaeological sites that are buried underwater, which can be systematically used to investigate and recover ancient artifacts.

The team of researchers have now urged the Australian Government to enact a legislation that would help manage and protect the aboriginal sites along the coastline.