BEACON ISLAND EXCAVATIONS 2015-2018
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BEACON ISLAND EXCAVATIONS 2015-2018
Burials
During this project, twelve skeletons were excavated from Beacon Island. While not the primary aim of the project, the discovery of further human remains meant that modern forensic techniques could be applied to a wider research dataset, including isotope analyses of bones
and teeth, to better understand the diets and country of origin of these people. It is estimated that 80 or more graves may remain on Beacon Island; a poignant reminder of its seventeenth century name, ‘Batavia’s Graveyard’.
Associate Professor Daniel Franklin discussing the forensic results from 2015 excavations. Part of ‘Shipwrecks of the Roaring Forties: A Maritime Archaeological Reassessment of some of Australia’s Earliest Shipwrecks’ (ARC Linkage Project LP130100137).
Credit: WA Museum | University of Western Australia
A juvenile sea lion skeleton, excavated with BIB14, was carbon dated as contemporary with the human burial.
Credit: WA Museum | University of Western Australia
Excavated communal grave on Beacon Island in 2017.
Credit: WA Museum | University of Western Australia
Trench 2 on Beacon Island during 2018 excavations.
Credit: WA Museum | University of Western Australia
Aerial view showing excavation sites by year and the locations of skeletal remains.
Credit: WA Museum | University of Western Australia
