Jonathan Benjamin

  • Associate Professor in Maritime Archaeology, Flinders University and ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, Flinders University
Archaeologists and marine scientists must work together with Indigenous communities and policy makers to protect Australia’s cultural heritage above and below the sea. Sam Wright

Australia’s coastal waters are rich in Indigenous cultural heritage, but it remains hidden and under threat

With 300 stone artefacts submerged on Australia’s continental shelf last year, Indigenous underwater cultural heritage needs to be prioritised in marine science and industry practices.
Divers excavate a shallow water submerged Mesolithic midden off the island of Hjarnø, Denmark. J. Benjamin.

Ancient undersea middens offer clues about life before rising seas engulfed the coast. Now we have a better way to study them

Undersea shell middens contain important clues about the past - what people ate, who they were interacting with and how the climate was changing. Now we have a better way to detect and excavate them.
S Wright

In a first discovery of its kind, researchers have uncovered an ancient Aboriginal archaeological site preserved on the seabed

Submerged in the waters off Western Australia lies an ancient site home to Aboriginal people thousands of years ago, when sea levels were lower than they are today.

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