Discovery of 49,000-year-old cave dwelling in Australia opens debate
SYDNEY- The discovery of a human settlement in Australia dating back 49,000 years has challenged theories about when the world's oldest continued civilisation came to the country, the archaeologist who made the find said on Thursday.
Sophisticated tools and bone fragments from the largest ever marsupial were found in a cave high on a cliff in Flinders Ranges, in South Australia, according to archaeologist Giles Hamm.
Scientists working with Hamm's team had determined the age of the site at 49,000 years.
Aboriginal Australians are the oldest continued civilisation in the world, descending from the first people to leave Africa, according to a genetic study published by the University of Copenhagen in September.
