Australian Aboriginal Trade Networks (7th Century)

Timeline

1. 600–650Ochre sources in Western Australia · Western AustraliaHigh-quality ochre from places such as the Pilbara was transported by inland trade routes to tribes hundreds of kilometers away, for ceremonial body painting and rock art; meanwhile axe blanks and ground stone tools also circulated among different language groups, indicating that stable channels of material exchange existed by the early seventh century.
2. 620–680Northern and eastern coasts · AustraliaMarine shells such as pearl shell and turban shell were worked into perforated ornaments and carried along established routes into interior tribes, becoming symbols of status and media of bride price; shells of distant origin found in seventh-century layers at archaeological sites indicate an increasingly active exchange network between coastal and inland peoples.
3. 650–700Inland trade route nodes in Australia · AustraliaIn the second half of the seventh century, tribes exchanged goods and information at seasonal gatherings, through intermarriage, and in ceremonial activities; trade routes and songlines intertwined, sustaining social connections across the continent's different ecological zones and laying the groundwork for broader exchange networks in later ages.