The site [www.jqjacobs.net] says:

'Did Homo sapiens sail to Australia 176,000 years ago? Stone artifacts from recent archaeological excavations indicate that Australia may have been populated as early as 176,000 years ago, more than triple previous estimates. Ochre samples from the dig, at Jinmium monolith in the Northern Territory, infer that the horizon of the earliest known human art extends to 176,000 years ago. Petroglyphs on the monolith and surrounding boulders are dated at 75,000 years old. Australian scientists Richard Fullager, Donald Price and Lesley Head report their startling findings in the December, 1996, issue of Antiquity.'

Is it true?

Is it possible that the first aboriginals have arrived to Australia as early as 176,000 years ago?

How can we reconcile this claim with the well established fact that modern Homo sapiens appeared in Southeastern Africa about 200,000 years ago?

How could Homo sapiens migrate from Africa to Australia in less than 30,000 years?

Best Regards,
Eduardo Torres
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

I've read that Richard Fullager, Donald Price and Lesley Head's claims have been demolished by other archaeologists, and that their dating method was not adequate (or the material was not "clean"). I believe that most Australian archaeologists still stick with the approx 40000 to 60000 BP (before present) figure.

Eduardo,

What about the Brazillian Aborigine?

check out this site:-

[news.bbc.co.uk]

and

[news.bbc.co.uk]


Interesting!

Much probable.
Rgds,
Eduardo Torres Ferreira

Yes, quite interesting.

This 40,000 year skull is considered the most important paleoanthropological discovery in Brazil.

The American scientists at first refused to believe it was indeed 40,000 years old and repeated the C14 tests in USA. The age was confirmed.

The Australian hypothesis is possible, but not proved beyond any doubts.

But if they didn't come from Australia, from where else?

Anyway, they disapeared without leaving genetic heritage in Brazilian Indians of Asian roots.

Rgds,
Eduardo Torres Ferreira

Eduardo,
check this message for a follow up:

<a href="http://www.ausanthrop.net/phorum/read.php?f=1&i=115&t=115">[www.ausanthrop.net];

Just as a matter of interest: Aboriginal people say we came from here (the continent now called Australia). It is something of a pity that the bigotry of science, stamping their constantly changing dates on a cultural belief system, is given any credence. In my life time I have been told that my ancestors have been here 700 years, 100,000 years, 2,000 years, 20,000 years, 60,000 years, 30,000 years, 70,000 years, 40,000 years, 60,000 years, 30,000 years, 40,000 years, over 120,000 years, 60,000 years, 40,000 years, 120,000 years.... and on and on it goes: and I'm only in my fifties.
A little respect for Aboriginal people and our culture could solve the problem: Aboriginal people have been here since the beginning of time. And when definitive evidence comes in from science--then they can state their facts.