Skull found in Australia challenges Captain Cook claim

[PeterCriss]

Skull found in Australia challenges Captain Cook claim

A skull found on the banks of a river in rural Australia is believed to date from the 1600s and has challenged the view that Captain Cook was the first white person to set foot on the country’s east coast.

Australian National University's Dr Stewart Fallon holding the skull found in northern New South Wales Photo: AFP/Getty Images

By Jonathan Pearlman, Sydney
10:53AM BST 01 Jul 2013

Carbon dating showed the skull belonged to a Caucasian male and had an 80 per cent chance of dating back to the 1600s, long before Captain Cook first reached Australia in 1770.

The tests were ordered by local police after the intact skull was found near Taree, a town about 200 miles north of Sydney. No other skeletal remains were found.

Dr Stewart Fallon, a carbon dating expert at the Australian National University, said the results were “fascinating” and showed the man was either from the mid-1600s or late 1700s – though probably the former.

However, experts said the results do not necessarily mean that a white man beat Captain Cook to Australia’s east coast.

An archaeologist, Adam Ford, said the skull might have been imported to Australia as part of a private collection.

"Before we rewrite the history of European settlement we have to consider a number of issues, particularly the circumstances of the discovery," he told Sydney’s Daily Telegraph.

"The fact the skull is in good condition and found alone could easily point to it coming from a private collection and skulls were very popular with collectors in the 19th century."

Dutch explorers arrived in the north and west of Australia in the early 1600s, though Captain Cook is believed to be the first white person to have reached the east coast. He arrived in April 1770 and claimed the coast for Britain four months later.

"If the skull does pre-date British settlement, it may be a tragic yet fascinating clue to the little-known history of early interactions between First Australians and the outside world,” said Cassie Mercer, an Australian historical researcher.