A 25,000-Year-Old Ritual Tradition Was Hidden Beneath This Cave Floor

Archaeologists found that people repeatedly carried whole grasses into Cloggs Cave and burned them in thin ritual layers over roughly 25,000 years, from the last Ice Age to recent times.

The evidence comes from phytoliths and ash deposits, and also includes a later standing stone placed for ceremonial use.

The study was conducted with GunaiKurnai community participation and supports oral traditions describing caves as sacred places for spiritual practice.

Researchers say the findings offer rare long-term proof of deep cultural continuity in Indigenous Australian ritual use of the cave.