LESSON 2.8 How did trade and technology develop in ancient Australia? LEARNING INTENTION By the end of this lesson you should be able to identify features of everyday life through investigation of the trade links that crossed Australia and the technology that developed over time.
Tune in While reading about the trade items in this lesson, think about how everyday objects give us an understanding of the world that we live in. 1. Think about an everyday object that you use at home. Tell your partner what the object is, and why it is useful to you. 2. Discuss what the everyday object you have identified would tell an archaeologist from the future about our way of life in modern Australia.
SOURCE1 What objects do you use every day?
2.8.1
What was the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
Peoples’ economy? Archaeological sites across Australia show that trade networks have existed for thousands of years (and still do today). People traded with their neighbours and with groups far away. Trade was important for both practical needs and cultural reasons. Many different items were exchanged. • Stone: Heaviest item traded, wrapped in paperbark and tied with string. Grinding stones were crucial for making flour. Sandstone slabs from north-west Queensland were brought 500 km to the Diamantina plains. Volcanic stone for axe heads came from Mount William, north of Melbourne. The Wurundjeri people mined and traded this stone for cutting bark for canoes on the Murray River. • Ochre: From Pukardu in the Flinders Ranges, this was traded 500 km north through South Australia, New South Wales and Queensland. Message sticks were sent ahead to negotiate trades. Pukardu ochre had spiritual value and was used in ceremonies. In return, people traded black paint, boomerangs, spears, nets and grass seeds. • Pitjuri: A small plant grown in central Australia, traded near the Cooper, Diamantina and Georgina rivers. Used as a drug for hunger, tiredness and pain. People from the north traded spears, spinifex glue, stone knives and pearl shells. From the east came wooden shields and spear shafts, and from the west came ochre and light spears. The south traded weapons, stone axe heads and possum skins.
TOPIC2 Deep Time to modern era 45
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