Further radiocarbon dates from Dabangay, a mid- to late Holocene settlement site in western Torres Strait

Abstract

Dabangay , on the island of Mabuyag, is one of only two known mid-Holocene sites in Torres Strait. Eleven new radiocarbon dates, combined with nine previous determinations, clarify its site formation processes and settlement history. The sequence shows two sustained settlement periods between 7239–3211 cal. BP and 1815 cal. BP–present, with little evidence for use during the intervening period. This differs from Badu 15, approximately 15 km south of Mabuyag, where human activity became sporadic after 6500 cal. BP. There is no evidence for a settlement expansion at 2500 BP as observed at other sites in the western Torres Strait. These differences suggest varied human responses to post-glacial marine transgression and the subsequent sea-level high stand in western Torres Strait.