To the Islands: The Archaeology of the Archipelagos of NW Australia and its Implications for Drowned Cultural Landscapes

Ward, Ingrid; Veth, Peter

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-53160-1_24

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…We can conclude that the potentially significant role of islands in postglacial and transgressive life and occupation is not well understood at present (Erlandson & Fitzpatrick, 2006; Rowland et al, 2015; I. Ward & Veth, 2017).…”

Section: Flaws In the Use Of Spd And “Big Data” For Exploring Culturamentioning

confidence: 84%

Sedimentary unknowns constrain the current use of frequency analysis of radiocarbon data sets in forming regional models of demographic change

Ward

Larcombe

2021

Geoarchaeology

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Statistical manipulation of large radiometric data sets (big data) is increasingly applied to those grand challenges in archaeology that relate to past human‐behavioural dynamics and includes frequency analysis of radiocarbon ages (summed probability distributions [SPDs]). Australian SPD studies use the radiocarbon database “AustArch” to examine regional‐ and continental‐scale demographic change. We review Australian studies, focussing on sampling bias and taphonomic bias, finding that (i) time‐averaged radiometric data cannot simply be correlated across regions, and (ii) sedimentology imposes genuine constraints upon what can be known. Internationally, flaws in SPD use occur in all main research phases, and most importantly, at the initial phase of defining research questions, logic and general approach. Major problems stem from not planning to obtain a sound understanding of the variability of past sedimentary environments, potential occupation sites and site formation processes. Thus, cultural inferences are too often made from archaeological data without due consideration of the natural processes that may explain the data. Highlighting exemplar studies, we present practical approaches to improve SPD use for exploring changes in demography, aimed at reducing uncertainties and reconnecting archaeological, chronological, geological and sedimentary data. Most important is to increase understanding of physical processes and their control on the archaeological record.

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Section: Flaws In the Use Of Spd And “Big Data” For Exploring Culturamentioning

confidence: 84%

Sedimentary unknowns constrain the current use of frequency analysis of radiocarbon data sets in forming regional models of demographic change

Ward

Larcombe

2021

Geoarchaeology

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“…As knowledge of Pleistocene and early Holocene sea-level change has improved, the suspicion has grown that this pattern of intensification may be highly misleading. In fact, it may be largely illusory, reflecting no more than the increased visibility of coastlines and the remains of shellfood during periods of relatively high sea level (Bailey 2011;Bailey and Craighead 2003;Bailey and Flemming 2008;Bailey and Milner 2002;Benjamin et al 2017;Bicho et al 2011;Veth et al 2017;Ward and Veth 2017). At the very least it requires the application of more subtle measures of intensification such as evidence of increased human impact as revealed by changes in the size and age structure of the exploited mollusc populations ; Guti errez-Zugasti 2011; Klein and Bird 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Underwater Shell Middens: Excavation and Remote Sensing of a Submerged Mesolithic site at Hjarnø, Denmark

Astrup

Skriver

Benjamín

et al. 2019

The Journal of Island and Coastal Archaeology

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Shell middens, or shell-matrix deposits, occur in large numbers across the coastlines of the world from the mid-Holocene (ca. 6000-5000 cal BC) onwards, often forming substantial mounds. However, they become smaller, rarer or absent as one goes back into earlier periods, suggesting a worldwide process of economic intensification. Since sea level was generally much lower during these earlier periods, a critical question is the extent to which mounded shell middens could have accumulated on now-submerged palaeoshorelines, and if so, how they were affected by the potentially destructive impact of sea-level rise. Further, and important to modern practice, it is essential that archaeologists consider how such sites can be discovered through underwater investigation. Here we offer a proof of concept that shell middens can survive submergence and can be detected, using systematic investigation of a rare example of a confirmed underwater shell midden at the Mesolithic site of Hjarnø (ca. 5300-4300 cal BC) in Denmark. We

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“…There is increasing international interest in the role of submerged archaeological sites and landscapes in influencing archaeological thinking on human dispersal (Bailey, ; Flemming, , and references therein). Unlike the rest of the world, Australia has no record yet of submerged archaeological sites (Nutley, ; Ward & Veth, ), despite the evidence of human occupation back beyond 50 ka (Clarkson et al., ; Malaspinas et al., ; Veth et al., ) and the widespread regional presence of preserved drowned shorelines (Brooke, Nichol, Huang, & Beaman, ; Carrigy & Fairbridge, 1954; Fairbridge, ). The investigation of drowned landscapes is therefore particularly important for Australia where virtually all evidence of late Pleistocene and early Holocene coastal living in Australia has been submerged (Ulm, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Physical sedimentary controls on subtropical coastal and shelf sedimentary systems: Initial application in conceptual models and computer visualizations to support archaeology

Larcombe¹,

Ward

Whitley

2018

Geoarchaeology

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Advances in digital spatial analysis and 3D photorealistic modeling offer the potential to create virtual interpretations of the now inundated landscapes of NW Australia. While this provides a useful template for potential late Pleistocene and early Holocene coastal occupation on the shelf, we stress the importance of understanding sediment dynamics as a primary control for terrain modelling, particularly at the scale of human ecosystem dynamics. We briefly review six major drivers of change upon tropical and semi‐tropical continental shelves and coastlines, and some of the typical coastal geomorphologies associated with each. We then hypothesize how these drivers might have varied on the NW Shelf of Australia since 65 ka, and then apply the logic to the Barrow Island region, to form some “end‐member” visualizations of coastal change in the early Holocene. The visualizations indicate a high degree of variability in coastal morphology, particularly through the post‐glacial period, which is likely to have radically changed the capacity of the coastline to provide resources for human use during that period. Hence, rather than considering any single visualization as being absolute, end‐member visualizations should be used to generate testable hypotheses that are reviewed repeatedly in the light of new physical, environmental, and archaeological information.

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To the Islands: The Archaeology of the Archipelagos of NW Australia and its Implications for Drowned Cultural Landscapes

Cited by 4 publications

References 29 publications

Sedimentary unknowns constrain the current use of frequency analysis of radiocarbon data sets in forming regional models of demographic change

Sedimentary unknowns constrain the current use of frequency analysis of radiocarbon data sets in forming regional models of demographic change

Underwater Shell Middens: Excavation and Remote Sensing of a Submerged Mesolithic site at Hjarnø, Denmark

Physical sedimentary controls on subtropical coastal and shelf sedimentary systems: Initial application in conceptual models and computer visualizations to support archaeology

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