Islands of Inquiry: Colonisation, seafaring and the archaeology of maritime landscapes (TA29) : Colonisation, seafaring and the archaeology of maritime landscapes

Abstract

terra australis 29Terra Australis reports the results of archaeological and related research within the south and east of Asia, though mainly Australia, New Guinea and island Melanesia -lands that remained terra australis incognita to generations of prehistorians. Its subject is the settlement of the diverse environments in this isolated quarter of the globe by peoples who have maintained their discrete and traditional ways of life into the recent recorded or remembered past and at times into the observable present.Since the beginning of the series, the basic colour on the spine and cover has distinguished the regional distribution of topics as follows: ochre for Australia, green for New Guinea, red for South-East Asia and blue for the Pacific Islands. From 2001, issues with a gold spine will include conference proceedings, edited papers and monographs which in topic or desired format do not fit easily within the original arrangements. All volumes are numbered within the same series. List of volumes in Terra AustralisVolume 1: Burrill Lake and Currarong: Coastal Sites in Southern New South Wales. R.J. Lampert (1971) Volume 2: Ol Tumbuna: Archaeological Excavations in the Eastern Central Highlands, Papua New Guinea. J.P. White (1972) Volume 3 Copyright of the text remains with the contributors/authors, 2008. This book is copyright in all countries subscribing to the Berne convention. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part may be reproduced by any process without written permission. Inquiries should be made to the publisher. ISLANDS OF INQUIRY Papers in honour of Atholl Anderson'Aye,' said the Captain, reverentially; 'it's a almighty element. There's wonders in the deep, my pretty. Think on it when the winds is roaring and the waves is rowling. Think on it when the stormy nights is so pitch dark,' said the Captain, solemnly holding up his hook, 'as you can't see your hand afore you, excepting when the wiwid lightning reweals the same; and when you drive, drive, drive through the storm and dark, as if you was a driving, head on, to the world without end,'Charles Dickens, Dombey and Son (1848:252). Philadelphia: Lea and Blanchard terra australis 29 terra australis 29 PrefaceThe impetus for this volume is the pending retirement of Professor Atholl Anderson from the Department of Archaeology and Natural History in the Australian National University in June 2008, after a distinguished and brilliant career in academic archaeology. In geographic range, Atholl's field research has extended over large swathes of the Pacific Ocean, from the west coast of South America to Western Micronesia, to Island Southeast Asia, and west to the Indian Ocean. Few prehistorians of Oceania have seen as much of their subject matter at such close quarters. The variety and span of his study areas are matched, and quite possibly exceeded, by the prodigious variety of subjects he has tackled in numerous scientific publications, which are ...

Thermal characterization of archaeological pot sherds recently excavated in Nedunkur, Tamilnadu, India

“…So, the decomposition of kaolinite was evidenced by the appearance of endothermic peak in all the Nedunkur sherds very close to 600 °C respectively. The band on decomposition of kaolinite is the indication that the pottery is not fired above 800 °C [7]. Referring the report by the authors cited above it is believed that all Nedunkur pottery fragments NDR1, NDR2, NDR3, NDR4 and NDR5 respectively were fired below 800 °C.…”

“…So, the endothermic peak observed between 100-200 °C in DTA curves characterize the hygroscopic water in the samples NDR1, NDR2, NDR3, NDR4 and NDR5 respectively. The broad exothermic peak in the temperature region 250-500 °C is due to the combustion of organic materials present in the potteries [6,7]. So the broad exothermic band found in the range of temperature 250-500 °C in the characteristic DTA curves of Nedunkur samples represent combustion of organic materials present in the clay of potteries.…”