7000 Years of Aboriginal Mining at Sugarloaf Hill in the Riverland Region of South Australia

Abstract

Silcrete and chert are commonly represented in Aboriginal archaeological lithic assemblages across large parts of the southwestern Murray-Darling Basin (MDB). In South Australia (SA), these materials were sourced from a series of quarries located along the incised course of the Murray River through the upper Riverland region. However, only cursory details have been recorded for these quarries and there remains a lack of reliable chronological data relating to the use of the stone resources. This paper begins to address this knowledge gap in presenting the results of a multi-method approach in recording and contextualising the Sugarloaf Hill Aboriginal Quarry, located near Overland Corner toward the downstream limit of silcrete and chert sources along the Murray River. Our research has included an intensive dating program conducted on archaeological materials and geomorphological contexts. This program fills a geographic gap in chronological data relating to Aboriginal occupation in the MDB and contributes to current debates around the timing of the early Aboriginal peopling of the River Murray in SA. The study also highlights silcrete and chert exposures in SA's Riverland as important sources for stone procurement, having played some role in the maintenance of social and cultural networks amongst Aboriginal peoples of the south-western MDB.