Xavier Carah | The University of Queensland, Australia (original) (raw)

Papers by Xavier Carah

The 'Neolithic problem' refers to forager/farmer interaction in northern Australia, where despite... more The 'Neolithic problem' refers to forager/farmer interaction in northern Australia, where despite a shared environmental inheritance with their New Guinea neighbours, Indigenous Australians seemingly rejected both the domesticates and the practices of the Melanesian horticultural economy (White, 1971). This ethnographic example is often used to suggest that hunter-gatherers elsewhere may have chosen not to adopt agriculture. However, the premise of the 'Neolithic problem' has been criticised for its over-reliance on the ethnographic record and on an anachronistic notion of cultural evolution, which exaggerates the dichotomy between New Guinean agriculturalists and Australian hunter-gatherers. In this paper we review the historical and theoretical treatment of the 'Neolithic problem' and the archaeological evidence for subsistence practices in northern Sahul spanning the past 50e60,000 years. Using niche construction theory (Rowley-Conwy and Layton, 2011) to reexamine the archaeological and ethnohistoric record, it is possible to observe the development and expansion of a variety of subsistence systems. Contrary to the premise of the 'Neolithic problem', the past 50e60,000 years of occupation in Sahul has seen the development of a varied array of food-producing subsistence practices in both New Guinea and Australia. However, the archaeological evidence for the expansion of horticultural practices and cultivars outside of highland New Guinea suggests a spatially and temporally narrow window for the adoption of agriculture by Indigenous populations in Cape York. Instead, the interaction between different subsistence systems in northern Sahul may have centred on the New Guinea lowlands and the Bismarck Archipelago, where, in the late Holocene, local communities interacted with other Melanesian and Austronesian populations. Whilst further archaeological investigation is required, it is clear that the image of culturally-static Indigenous Australian populations often implied in the consideration of forager/farmer interactions belongs to another era of archaeological thought.

Anthracology is a technique which has been greatly underutilised in Australian archaeology. This ... more Anthracology is a technique which has been greatly underutilised in Australian archaeology. This is surprising considering the importance of wood in the economy of Indigenous Australian societies. The taxonomic identification of wood charcoal (anthracology) allows researchers to test hypotheses relating to environmental change, landscape modification, and fuel wood selection strategies, among many other applications. The composition and distribution of vegetation communities at the time of colonisation, the affect anthropogenic fire regimes have had on the Australian landscape, and the role of wood resources in the Australian Indigenous economy can all be explored through anthracology. This paper demonstrates the potential of anthracology, through a discussion of the fuel wood selection strategies of the inhabitants of Madjedbebe (Malakunanja II), a Pleistocene rockshelter in Kakadu. Initiated by post-glacial sea level rise, the environment of this region underwent large scale lands...

Recent archaeological research has firmly established eastern Africa’s offshore islands as import... more Recent archaeological research has firmly established eastern Africa’s offshore islands as important localities for understanding the region’s pre-Swahili maritime adaptations and early Indian Ocean trade connections.
While the importance of the sea and small offshore islands
to the development of urbanized and mercantile Swahili societies has long been recognized, the formative stages of island colonisation—and in particular the processes by which migrating Iron Age groups essentially became “maritime”—are still relatively poorly understood. Here
we present the results of recent archaeological fieldwork in the Mafia Archipelago, which aims to understand these early adaptations and situate them within a longer-term trajectory of island settlement and pre-Swahili cultural developments. We focus on the results of zoo archaeological, archaeobotanical, and material culture studies relating to early subsistence and trade on this island to explore the changing significance of marine resources to the local economy. We also discuss
the implications of these maritime adaptations for the development of local and long-distance Indian Ocean trade networks.

Alison Crowther, Patrick Faulkner, Mary E. Prendergast, Erendira M. Quintana Morales, Mark Horton, Edwin Wilmsen, Anna M. Kotarba-Morley, Annalisa Christie, Nik Petek, Ruth Tibesasa, Katerina Douka, Llorencc¸ Picornell-Gelabert, Xavier Carah, and Nicole Boivin

While archaeobotany is increasingly part of archaeological projects in Oceania, the specific sub-... more While archaeobotany is increasingly part of archaeological projects in Oceania, the specific sub-discipline focusing on wood charcoal macro-remains (anthracology) continues to be a much underdeveloped field of research in Australia and the Pacific. To initiate a regional framework for anthracology, we present here a review of studies based on wood charcoal analyses that have been implemented in Oceania, and we then present anthracological principles and methods developed in other parts of the world. We use three recent case studies, from New Caledonia, and tropical and semi-arid Australia, to illustrate the application of anthracological methods in the region. Finally, we consider the potential for the discipline to be successfully developed in Oceania, discussing identified challenges and prospects for anthracology to address key archaeological questions in the region. We argue the discipline has the potential to throw light on both palaeoenvironmental conditions and palaeoethnobotanical practices at a site, and can also offer insights in relation to mobility patterns and resource management in the past.

by Elspeth (Ebbe) Hayes, Ben Marwick, Kelsey Lowe, S. Anna Florin, Christopher Clarkson, Xavier Carah, Tiina Manne, Jacqueline M Matthews, Patrick Faulkner, Lynley Wallis, and Richard L K Fullagar

Journal of Human Evolution 83 (2015):46-64.

Published ages of >50 ka for occupation at Madjedbebe (Malakunanja II) in Australia's north have ... more Published ages of >50 ka for occupation at Madjedbebe (Malakunanja II) in Australia's north have kept the site prominent in discussions about the colonisation of Sahul. The site also contains one of the largest stone artefact assemblages in Sahul for this early period. However, the stone artefacts and other important archaeological components of the site have never been described in detail, leading to persistent doubts about its stratigraphic integrity. We report on our analysis of the stone artefacts and faunal and other materials recovered during the 1989 excavations, as well as the stratigraphy and depositional history recorded by the original excavators. We demonstrate that the technology and raw materials of the early assemblage are distinctive from those in the overlying layers. Silcrete and quartzite artefacts are common in the early assemblage, which also includes edge-ground axe fragments and ground haematite. The lower flaked stone assemblage is distinctive, comprising a mix of long convergent flakes, some radial flakes with faceted platforms, and many small thin silcrete flakes that we interpret as thinning flakes. Residue and use-wear analysis indicate occasional grinding of haematite and wood- working, as well as frequent abrading of platform edges on thinning flakes. We conclude that previous claims of extensive displacement of artefacts and post-depositional disturbance may have been over- stated. The stone artefacts and stratigraphic details support previous claims for human occupation 50-60 ka and show that human occupation during this time differed from later periods. We discuss the implications of these new data for understanding the first human colonisation of Sahul.

Archaeology in Oceania (2015) 50:1-22

While archaeobotany is increasingly part of archaeological projects in Oceania, the specific sub-... more While archaeobotany is increasingly part of archaeological projects in Oceania, the specific sub-discipline focusing on wood charcoal macroremains (anthracology) continues to be a much underdeveloped field of research in Australia and the Pacific. To initiate a regional framework for anthracology, we present here a review of studies based on wood charcoal analyses which have been implemented in Oceania and then present anthracological principles and methods developed in other parts of the world. We use three recent case studies, from New Caledonia, tropical and
semi-arid Australia, to illustrate the application of anthracological methods in the region. Finally, we consider the potential for the discipline to be successfully developed in Oceania, discussing identified challenges and prospects for anthracology to address key archaeological questions in the region. We argue the discipline has the potential to throw light on both palaeoenvironmental conditions and palaeoethnobotanical practices at a site, and can also offer insights in relation to mobility patterns and resource management in the past.

Conference Presentations by Xavier Carah

The tropical savanna of Northern Australia is a complex anthropogenic landscape, which has been d... more The tropical savanna of Northern Australia is a complex anthropogenic landscape, which has been dramatically altered through climatic and anthropogenic processes over the last 50,000 years. These changes have been driven by climatic, geological and environmental changes, as well as anthropogenic impacts to flora and fauna. Fire regimes have been observed in Australia since European contact and there is strong evidence of their operation well into prehistory (‘fire-stick farming’). The management of fuel wood availability in the landscape was almost certainly an integral part of any fire regime. However, previous research has focused only on the importance of management by fire of landscape productivity and subsistence systems. Research discussed in this paper seeks to address this oversight. An anthracological analysis of hearth charcoal from the rock shelter site of Madjedbebe (Malakunanja II) in Northern Australia, offers researchers an opportunity to explore the relationships between hunter-gatherers, climatic changes, and fuel wood selection strategies over the last 20,000 years. This research utilises recovery methods rarely used in Australia, the fledgling discipline of Australian anthracology, and ethnographic work conducted with the Mirarr, the traditional custodians of Madjedbebe. The Mirarr continue to live as part of this landscape and still operate mosaic fire regimes which encourage growth and renewal. Preliminary anthracological results from Madjedbebe suggest the fuel wood selection strategy at the site was governed by the Principle of Least Effort (PLE). This strategy remained relevant and responded to the dramatic shifts in vegetation which occurred over the last 20,000 years.

Australian anthracology (wood charcoal analysis) is confronted by major methodological and concep... more Australian anthracology (wood charcoal analysis) is confronted by major methodological and conceptual issues. Owing to the development of this technique in Europe and the Near East issues remain for its application in Australia. Differences in the type of archaeological sites and context types found in Eurasia and Australia mean more ground work needs to be done before it can be broadly applied here.

Australia has often been viewed as the continent of hunter gatherers and a long term debate has f... more Australia has often been viewed as the continent of hunter gatherers and a long term debate has focused on why people here did not develop food production, but those across the Torres Strait did. This session will revisit that question using data and theoretical contributions from the symposium.

Teaching Documents by Xavier Carah

The UQARC is a digital repository for archaeological reference materials. Currently the UQARC con... more The UQARC is a digital repository for archaeological reference materials. Currently the UQARC contains archaeobotanical and archaeomalacological accessions, with a plan to add additional materials in the future. Non-UQ researchers are encouraged to contribute material to this free and open access database. For database access: http://uqarchaeologyreference.metadata.net

Australian …, Jan 1, 2010

The aim of this project is to collate a substantive dataset relating to the measurements of seven... more The aim of this project is to collate a substantive dataset relating to the measurements of seven ancient domesticated plant species. The project was initiated for several reasons. First, there is a rarity of seed measurement reference guides which leaves a void in the data ...

by Elspeth (Ebbe) Hayes, Ben Marwick, Kelsey Lowe, S. Anna Florin, Christopher Clarkson, Xavier Carah, Tiina Manne, Jacqueline M Matthews, Patrick Faulkner, Lynley Wallis, and Richard L K Fullagar

Journal of Human Evolution 83 (2015):46-64.

Archaeology in Oceania (2015) 50:1-22

While archaeobotany is increasingly part of archaeological projects in Oceania, the specific sub-... more While archaeobotany is increasingly part of archaeological projects in Oceania, the specific sub-discipline focusing on wood charcoal macroremains (anthracology) continues to be a much underdeveloped field of research in Australia and the Pacific. To initiate a regional framework for anthracology, we present here a review of studies based on wood charcoal analyses which have been implemented in Oceania and then present anthracological principles and methods developed in other parts of the world. We use three recent case studies, from New Caledonia, tropical and
semi-arid Australia, to illustrate the application of anthracological methods in the region. Finally, we consider the potential for the discipline to be successfully developed in Oceania, discussing identified challenges and prospects for anthracology to address key archaeological questions in the region. We argue the discipline has the potential to throw light on both palaeoenvironmental conditions and palaeoethnobotanical practices at a site, and can also offer insights in relation to mobility patterns and resource management in the past.

Australian …, Jan 1, 2010