Ritual grass burning at Cloggs Cave spans 25,000 years

Archaeological analysis of microscopic plant remains has revealed that a secluded cave in southeastern Australia was used for specialized ritual burning practices over an extraordinary span of approximately 25,000 years. The new research, published on July 22, 2026, in Frontiers in Environmental Archaeology, provides compelling physical evidence that generations of GunaiKurnai people deliberately gathered whole grasses, carried them into Cloggs Cave, and burned them in low-temperature fires, creating repeated layers of ash.

Located in GunaiKurnai Country in Victoria, Cloggs Cave has long been recognized for its deep archaeological record. The latest study focused on phytoliths, microscopic silica structures that form inside plants and can be preserved for millennia. Researchers analyzed thousands of these particles extracted from sediment pits dug during excavations in 2019 and 2020, which were conducted in partnership with the GunaiKurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation.

The findings show a striking pattern. Up to 97 percent of the phytoliths came from grasses, and nearly one-fifth of them were burned or melted. Critically, the phytoliths originated from multiple parts...