Australian scientists from the University of Sydney have created a map of the Sahula continent, which once connected Australia to the islands of Papua New Guinea and Tasmania. Later, like the legendary Atlantis, these regions were swallowed by the ocean. The research was published in the scientific journal magazine Nature Communications (NatComms).
The study examines the huge continent of Sahul, which emerged during the Pleistocene period approximately 70 thousand years ago. At that time, the world was in the middle of the last ice age. Glaciation caused a significant drop in sea level and exposed parts of the shelf connecting what is now mainland Australia to Papua New Guinea to the north and Tasmania to the south.
Dating these sites helped determine the periods during which people moved around Sahul. Researchers ran thousands of simulations determining the most likely routes of prehistoric settlers, taking into account the characteristics of the terrain and the availability of food available.
The team found that people walked both along the coast and in the interior of Sahul, following major streams and rivers.
The model helped detail the picture of life in Sahul, where up to half a million people live according to current estimates.
Researchers believe that archaeological sites left by ancient humans may have been preserved on the seabed.
Earlier historians to create legendary Welsh Atlantis on a medieval map.