Scientists reveal 1400-year-old secret of large earthen rings in Australia

Archaeologists have uncovered a 1400-year-old secret of large earthen rings in Australia. They are located on the outskirts of Melbourne, in the suburb of Sunbury, and mysteriously rise from the hills.

These earthen rings are not a natural phenomenon. In fact, they are large-scale feats of human endeavor and represent the long and continuous connection of Aboriginal people with the country, Live Science writes. Earthen rings are embankments that were created by digging and filling earth into large circular shapes.

Archaeologists have investigated one of these rings and the results have expanded the existing understanding of the richness and diversity of Australia's archaeological heritage, created over more than 65,000 years of continuous occupation by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Earthen rings were created by humans hundreds or thousands of years ago. They did this by excavating and piling earth into a large circle (or circles) up to hundreds of meters in diameter. In eastern Australia, earthen rings are considered symbols of secret and sacred places of initiation and ceremony for various Aboriginal language groups.

Many earthen rings were destroyed after European colonization and land development. It is believed that hundreds of them once existed in New South Wales and Queensland alone. But today only about 100 remain. A smaller number of rings have been documented in Victoria, including five in Sunbury.

In 2021-2022, community members conducted the first study and led a new archaeological excavation of one of the rings, known as the Sunbury G ring. It represents a place where indigenous peoples traveled and gathered together, and likely held ceremonies.

Sunbury G Ring was first excavated by archaeologist David Frankel in 1979. To date, no other excavations of an earthen ring are known to have been made in Australia. The current research was conducted to re-analyze 166 stone artifacts found during the 1979 excavations.

This involved dating the ring's deposits to determine when it was made. It also involved putting the artifacts together like a puzzle and examining the residue and wear marks on their surfaces and edges. This provides clues to how people living in those years made and used the stone tools in Sunbury G Ring.

According to recently published research, the ring was built by people somewhere between 590 and 1400 years ago. They spent time in the area clearing land and plants, raking earth and stones to create the ring mound, and layering rocks to create stone compositions.

They also lit fires, made stone tools that they used to fight a variety of plants and animals, and moved objects inside the ring.

According to the scientists, this study is the first to combine cultural and archaeological knowledge of earthen rings in Australia and demonstrates the importance of further research and preservation of these earthen rings, as well as others known to be found in eastern Australia.

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