Culture
How long ago did Mungo Man and Mungo Lady live?
Around 40,000 years ago.
What was the area/ waters of Lake Mungo like?
The lake was filled with water and contained many wildlife. The area was more wet and plants were more abundant.
A natural clay or earth, often red or yellow, used by Aboriginal people for art, decoration, or ceremonies.
Ochre
What does the presence of a one-legged man’s footprints suggest
He used a cane for support while traveling.
What type of evidence indicates the diet of people living in the Willandra Lakes region?
a) Cave paintings
b) Middens containing shell and bone
c) Written records on bark
d) Fossilized farming tools
b. Middens containing shell and bone
What is the oldest skeleton found so far in Australia?
Mungo Man
Why might historians be interested in where people moved after the lakes dried up?
To understand migration patterns and adaptations to climate change.
A person who looks after and protects something important, like land, traditions, or history.
Custodian
What is significant about the Lake Mungo fossil trackway?
a) It has the largest documented collection of ancient human footprints.
b) It contains the oldest known animal fossils.
c) It was the first site discovered by Aboriginal rangers.
d) It reveals the history of Australian farming communities.
a) It has the largest documented collection of ancient human footprints
How were the footprints on the Lake Mungo trackway preserved?
By being buried under a sand dune
A pile of waste left by people in the past, often including shells, bones, and tools that show what they ate and how they lived.
Midden
Where is Lake Mungo located?
Willandra Lakes Region, NSW.
The remains of a plant, animal, or human, or something like a footprint, that has turned into stone over a very long time.
Fossil
What era do the Mungo Footprints date back to?
a) The Bronze Age
b) The Pleistocene Epoch
c) The Jurassic Period
d) The Triassic Period
b) The Pleistocene Epoch
What tools do archaeologists use? Name atleast 2
Sieves, brushes, shovels, trawls, measuring instruments, and bags/suitcases.
What tools were used by the First Nations people who lived at Lake Mungo?
Grinding stones, flint chips, cutting tools, and evidence of spears.
What was the environment like when Mungo Man and Mungo Lady were alive?
Lake's were full and the area was thriving with life.
A specific place where something important happened or where objects from the past are found, like an ancient village or burial ground?
Site
What does the deeper left footprint of a woman suggest?
She was carrying a baby on her left hip.
How tall were the men estimated to be based on their footprints?
About 2 metres tall
What activities were part of the lives of the people in the Willandra Lakes region?
Hunting, fishing, and cooking over fires
How did scientists figure out the landscape of Lake Mungo 40,000 years ago?
Through fossils, footprints and soil samples.
A flat, hard area of ground made of clay, often found in deserts or dry places. It doesn’t soak up water, so it can flood or crack.
Clay Pan
What observation was made about the child’s footprints?
They showed the child walking, pausing, turning, and running.
Identify 2 scientific techniques used to date evidence at Lake Mungo.
1. Luminescence dating
2. Radiocarbon dating
In what year was Mungo Man discovered?
1974
Why might historians be interested in where people moved after the lakes dried up?
a) To find evidence of the first farming communities.
b) To understand migration patterns and adaptations to climate change.
c) To determine how they rebuilt the lakes.
d) To prove they stayed in one place permanently
b) To understand migration patterns and adaptations to climate change.
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who have a special connection to the land, passed down through their ancestors.
Traditional Owners
What evidence suggests that some trips were made into the arid interior even after the lakes dried up?
a) The presence of fireplaces long after the lake system disappeared.
b) Stone tools were found scattered around the area.
c) Animal remains indicated they were still hunted nearby.
d) Freshwater springs were still active.
a) The presence of fireplaces long after the lake system disappeared.
What makes the Lake Mungo site a unique case study in ancient history?
a) Its evidence of the earliest known writing system.
b) Its preservation of the first domesticated animals.
c) The site’s links to European history.
d) The collaboration between traditional custodians and scientists.
d) The collaboration between traditional custodians and scientists.