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The Mystery of the Bradshaws

In northern Australia, a mysterious form of rock art is potentially a key to unlock some of the myseteries of human evolution. Known as the Bradshaws, the art is dispersed in around 100 000 sites spread over 50 000 sq. km of nothern Australia. Although the art's pigment can't be dated, a fossilised wasp nest covering one of the paintings has been dated at 17,000 + years old. This makes the art at least four times older than the pyramids of Egypt.

Some of the paintings show very advanced technology. One depicts a boat with 29 people on board. Another depicts a boat with four people on board, and a rudder. Aside from showing a technologically advanced society, the paintings show a highly decorated society. They show people with tassels, hair adornments, and possibly clothing.

The art is very different from that created by the hunter gatherers living in the area at the time of European colonisation. The hunter gatherer paintings are known as Wandjinas. Although the Wandjinas are like the Bradshaws in that they depict the human form, they are very different as the Wandijina's forms are simply replicated over and over, they lack fine detail in line construction, and they lack the use of hieroglyphic-style symbols.

The lack of variety or fine construction in the Wandjinas is best explained by their religious purpose. The arc around their heads represents lightning and the little short lines represent falling rain. In a nutshell, the Wandjinas are like deities based on the monsoonal wet season.

While the function of the Wanjinas is simple and easy to explain, the diversity, refinement, and replication of symbols in the Bradshaw art seems reminiscent of a culture that wanted to use art for a purpose other than ceremony or religion. Like it is for iconographic writing, the little details matter in the Bradshaw art because variance is so common. The Bradshaw art seems reminiscent of Egyptian hieroglyphics that mixed depictions with symbolic elements. It was such a mixing that gave rise to a written language.

The main problem with seeing the Bradshaw art as iconography is that it would indicate that the artists were from a settled society, and the modern environment of Australia makes this seem impossible. Specifically, Australia has no native high-yield agricultural crop like corn, rice or wheat that is necessary to sustain cities. Although the crops have been successfully imported today, the farms only survive with the aid of modern technology and government assistance for farmers in times of drought.

Despite the fact that the Australian environment is indeed difficult for farming today, when humans arrived 60,000 years ago they found an environment more like South America. Tree kangaroos lived in Australia's centre, rainforest covered much of the country, and native animals had never known the danger of human spears. Most importantly, the environment was conducive to high-yeild agricultural crops, and these crops may have existed in Australia. Just as humans built cities in South America relatively soon after arriving, humans may have built cities in Australia relatively soon after arriving. In Australia, the early humans would have found it easy to escape the tribal wars that were the scourge of genesis farming communities. Furthermore, the absence of herding herbivours to follow, such as buffaloe, would have provided a strong incentive to settle down and grow crops.

Irrespective of whether the early humans built cities, their tendency to burn the bush soon destroyed the capability of the Australian land to support cities. If they were hunter gatherer people, they would have burnt the bush to herd kangaroos towards hunters that were waiting with spears. If they were building farms, they would have burnt the bush to clear land for agriculture.

Whether the land was cleared as a hunting technique or for farming, eventually it led to environmental collapse. By altering the flora enough to decrease the exchange of water vapour between the biosphere and atmosphere, clouds stopped forming, the land became drier, and the annual monsoon failed. A vicious cycle was created as a drier climate in turn led to less plant growth, and an even drier climate. If cities were forming, they would have fallen into ruins. Some people may have then migrated to other parts of the globe, while those that remained in Australia would have returned to a hunter gathering lifestyle.

Admittedly, aside from the Bradshaw art, there is no sign of civilisation developing in Australia. This is not unexpected as the civilisation would have to be around 40,000 years old and it would be unreasonable to expect anything to exist after this time. In Australia, small towns created by Europeans 100 years ago have almost been completly reclaimed by the bush. After 5,000 years, only something as large as a Pyramid could survive. After 20,000 years, even a pyramid would be difficult to differentiate from a pile of dirt. After 40,000 years, everything would be gone.

Aside from remnants of civilisation being destroyed by nature, remnants of civilisation would be destroyed by subsequent generations of hunter gatherers picking up anything different. After 60,000 years of nomadic life, every inch of Australia would have been crossed countless times. For this reason, not even a single stone tool of the Bradshaw people has ever been found. The only reason why the paintings still exist is that a cave can not be carried away and is out of the danger from the elements.

While it is not essential to understand the meaning of the symbols to appreciate the Bradshaw art, making judgements about the type of culture that created them is essential for trying to contemplate their meaning. If the Bradshaw art was created by hunter gatherers, the Bradshaw art would be ceremonial or religious. If it were created by a settled society, then it could have all the complex ideas that iconographic writing allows.

Aside from helping understand the art itself, making judgements about the type of culture that created them also has implications for human evolution. If the Bradshaw people were indeed a settled people, their story is one that has parrallels with the story of Atlantis. They may have been an advanced people that got too smart for their own good. They tried to gain too much mastery over nature, but fell into ruins as nature got mastery of them.

 

Description from the Bradshaw Foundation: - http://www.bradshawfoundation.com/bradshaws/gallery8.php

" Bradshaw Period
Tassel Bradshaw Group
600x130mm (23x5 ins) left figure
540x270mm (21x10 ins) right figure

This discrete panel involves a pair of Tassel Bradshaws, each with an upwards facing long-tailed marsupial aligned close above its headdress. The distinctive dashed line objects with a 'Y' upper section are occasionally shown in close association with Tassel Bradshaws, appearing to be surviving monochrome remnants of once bichrome artifacts. Accoutrements include Tasselled Cord Armpit decorations, and multiple round bangles. The awkward arm alignment shown on the left figure appears exclusive to Tassel Bradshaws.

 

Description from the Bradshaw Foundation: - http://www.bradshawfoundation.com/bradshaws/gallery8.php

Bradshaw Period
Sash Bradshaw Group
760mm tall (30ins)

A fine Sash Bradshaw displaying a wide range of the accoutrements found associated with this Group. The long headdress has a single feather mounted through its upper extremity, with double tiered tassel extremity. A Prong Variation of the Winged Headdress feature is mounted to the right side of the head. A neck-mounted dillybag is visible beneath the right armpit, and a cluster of four Chilli Armpit Decorations beneath the left. The unusual Barred Variation of the Three Point Sash can be clearly seen rear mounted above the Broad Cummerbund Waistband, while an additional Long Pubic Apron is mounted from the front underside. Double Boomerangs are held in each hand, with an additional Whisk in the right. Tuft Armbands and Multiple Broad Bangle forearms are characteristics of this Group.