Lithics in the Land of the Lightning Brothers (original) (raw)
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Human occupation of northern Australia by 65,000 years ago
Kasih Norman, Ben Marwick, Jessica McNeil, Kate Connell, Tiina Manne, Elspeth (Ebbe) Hayes, Colin Pardoe, Christopher Clarkson, Andrew Fairbairn, Kelsey Lowe, S. Anna Florin, Richard L K Fullagar
The time of arrival of people in Australia is an unresolved question. It is relevant to debates about when modern humans first dispersed out of Africa and when their descendants incorporated genetic material from Neanderthals, Denisovans and possibly other hominins. Humans have also been implicated in the extinction of Australia’s megafauna. Here we report the results of new excavations conducted at Madjedbebe, a rock shelter in northern Australia. Artefacts in primary depositional context are concentrated in three dense bands, with the stratigraphic integrity of the deposit demonstrated by artefact refits and by optical dating and other analyses of the sediments. Human occupation began around 65,000 years ago, with a distinctive stone tool assemblage including grinding stones, ground ochres, reflective additives and ground-edge hatchet heads. This evidence sets a new minimum age for the arrival of humans in Australia, the dispersal of modern humans out of Africa, and the subsequent interactions of modern humans with Neanderthals and Denisovans.
2010
This thesis addresses the research potential of informal lithic technologies through a case study of surface deposits from western New South Wales (NSW), Australia. The defining characteristic of the lithic remains of the region is a dearth of formalized patterning. As a consequence, researchers have historically equated these remains with a casual approach to lithic technology where it is often assumed that artefacts were produced on an as needed basis. This apparent simplicity is in marked contrast to the demanding environment of the region. Water and food resources are extremely limited and historic observations indicate that Aborigional populations coped with these conditions by employing strategies of land use based on short-term occupations and high mobility. It is therefore an anomaly that populations living under such conditions would be so unconcerned with the organization of their technology. An exploration of this anomaly guides the research presented in this thesis. Was the organization of Aboriginal lithic technology truly simple or instead is the perception of simplicity an artefact of previous interpretation? The goals of this thesis go beyond questioning the perception of simplicity to the larger question of how informal technologies can be used to understand past behavioural organization. To investigate these questions, this thesis makes use of an abundance of assemblage data gathered by the Western NSW Archaeological Programme. The results of this research indicate that while the vast surface record of the region may present what appears to be a largely undifferentiated record, contextualization shows that Aboriginal occupation of the region was anything but uniform. Chronologies developed through extensive radiocarbon dating demonstrate that periods of increased II aridity are correlated with decreased evidence of Aboriginal occupation, thus suggesting territorial reorganization in the face of environmental deterioration. The study of lithic technological organization and the curation concept provide a theoretical perspective with which to explore the possibility for similar dynamism in the largely informal lithic technologies of the study region. While current studies of stone artefact curation are largely based on retouched tools, the curation process may exist in the absence of retouch. A methodology based on the quantification of cortical surface area is presented as one means through which curation without retouch may be explored. This methodology is based on the principles of solid geometry and enables comparison between the quantities of cortex observed in lithic assemblages and that which should be present given the size and shape of the stone nodules from which artefacts were produced. Deviations between observed and expected values indicate the effects of artefact transport on assemblage formation. Application of the cortex methodology indicates that cortex is extensively underrepresented in the NSW assemblages, meaning artefacts were transported away from their place of production. This result is in marked contrast to the perception of Aboriginal technological expedience. Further investigation of the cortex methodology, the development of refined techniques and the completion of additional fieldwork enabled a more in-depth test of the initial result. Viewed from a variety of perspectives, further study supports the initial interpretation. Utilizing spatial patterning in assemblage cortex proportions, the data for this study are then used to investigate the scale of Aboriginal mobility. Interpretation of this patterning provides insights into the organization of land use at a landscape scale and thus demonstrates a greater appreciation of the potential for informal lithic technologies to inform on the organization of the past.
Revisiting the 'Neolithic Problem' in Australia
The more we learn about varieties of subsistence, the less clear defi nitions of 'agriculture' become, and the harder it is to see the Australian and New Guinean data as falling into separate classes. Some Australian data, if found in New Guinea, would label those societies as agricultural. I suggest two avenues, residue analysis and historical research, along which research in this matter might usefully continue.
Holocene Demographic Changes and the Emergence of Complex Societies in Prehistoric Australia
PLoS One, 2015
A continental-scale model of Holocene Australian hunter-gatherer demography and mobility is generated using radiocarbon data and geospatial techniques. Results show a delayed expansion and settlement of much of Australia following the termination of the late Pleistocene until after 9,000 years ago (or 9ka). The onset of the Holocene climatic optimum (9-6ka) coincides with rapid expansion, growth and establishment of regional populations across ~75% of Australia, including much of the arid zone. This diffusion from isolated Pleistocene refugia provides a mechanism for the synchronous spread of pan-continental archaeological and linguistic attributes at this time (e.g. Pama-Nyungan language, Panaramitee art style, backed artefacts). We argue longer patch residence times were possible at the end of the optimum, resulting in a shift to more sedentary lifestyles and establishment of low-level food production in some parts of the continent. The onset of El Niño - Southern Oscillation (ENSO; 4.5-2ka) restricted low-level food production, and resulted in population fragmentation, abandonment of marginal areas, and reduction in ranging territory of ~26%. Importantly, climate amelioration brought about by more pervasive La Niña conditions (post-2ka), resulted in an intensification of the mobility strategies and technological innovations that were developed in the early- to mid-Holocene. These changes resulted in population expansion and utilization of the entire continent. We propose that it was under these demographically packed conditions that the complex social and religious societies observed at colonial contact were formed.
Human occupation of the Kimberley coast of northwest Australia 50,000 years ago
Quaternary Science Reviews, 2022
The peopling of Sahul (the combined landmass of New Guinea and Australia) is a topic of much debate. The Kimberley region of Western Australia holds many of Australia's oldest known archaeological sites. Here, we review the chronological and archaeological data available for the Kimberley from early Marine Isotope Stage 3 to the present, linking episodes of site establishment and the appearance of new technologies with periods of climatic and sea-level change. We report optical ages showing human occupation of Widgingarri 1, a rockshelter located on the Kimberley coast of northwest Australia, as early as 50,000 years ago, when the site was located more than 100 km from the Late Pleistocene coastline. We also present the first detailed analysis of the stone artefacts, including flakes from ground stone axes, grinding stones and ground haematite recovered from the deepest excavated layer. The high proportion of flakes from ground axe production and resharpening in the earliest occupation phase emphasises the importance of this complex technology in the first peopling of northern Sahul. Artefact analyses indicate changes in settlement patterns through time, with an increase in mobility in the terminal Pleistocene and a shift to lower mobility during the late Holocene. The optical ages for Widgingarri 1 mean that the Kimberley now contains the greatest number of sites in Sahul with earliest occupation dated to more than 46,000 years ago, overlapping with the time of initial occupation of sites in other regions across the continent.