What is an archaeological site?

Archaeological sites are the preserved physical evidence found at places where people and groups lived at times in the past. Aboriginal sites are found all over Western Australia. On the coast, midden sites may be found with shell refuse, fish or turtle bone and tools made from stone and/or shell. Engravings and painting sites can be found on rock outcrops. But it is scatters of stone artefacts- the tools traditionally made and used in daily activities – that are the most commonly found archaeological site in Australia. Stone artefacts scatters range from small discrete scatters of a few pieces of flaked stone to dense scatters of many thousands of artefacts extending over thousands of square metres.

Other types of Aboriginal archaeological sites include scarred trees, quarry sites, caves, burial sites and grinding patches.

ground-edge stone axe

standing stones with petroglyphs

semi-circular stone structure

scarred tree

stone artefact scatter

close-up of stone tool

small quartz crystal artefacts

pecked stone engraving

rockshelter