Australian Aboriginal archaeology - stone sources

HUNDREDS of indigenous artefacts have been uncovered in areas of the Boyne Valley as part of a cultural heritage project.
Archaeologist Dr Alice Gorman said excavation works were being carried out in the various creek areas expected to be inundated with water after the Lake Awoonga wall-raising project.

Use-wear and residue analyses of stone artefacts are widely used to better understand the behaviour and resource utilization of past peoples. There are numerous ethnographic reports describing the processing of animal parts, but identification of collagen, the principle component of animal protein, can be difficult because of the similarity in appearance to other non-collagenous residues (e.g. Lombard and Wadley, 2007). Additionally, damage to collagen structure caused by processing and taphonomic factors can alter collagen's microscopic morphological features and further prevent microscopic identification. This paper describes the trialling, blind testing and application of a modified Picro-Sirius Red (PSR) staining protocol not reliant on intact morphology which can be used to identify archaeological collagenous residues. The protocol allows for differentiation of Types I, II and III collagen and can detect the minuscule amounts in archaeological samples. The application of this staining protocol to ten grindstones from arid and semi-arid regions in south and central Australia supports the view that lack of collagen heretofore reported in residue studies is more likely the result of under-detection than its absence (see Monnier et al., 2012). The staining protocol represents an inexpensive, efficient and reliable process which can be added to contemporary use-wear and residue analyses. This addition allows more inclusive assessments of past function and promotes wider understandings of the behaviour of past peoples.

Historical evidence suggests that at the time of European settlement in the NSW Illawarra region, Dharawal groups, who came together for ceremonies, had an established regional network with movement of people, and items, via pathways linking the highlands west of the Illawarra escarpment and the coastal plain. The degree to which the established network described in European accounts reflects pre- colonial patterns or activity affected by early colonial settlement is unclear, however. This thesis examines this topic by comparing archaeological and historical evidence.

Ground edged hatchets, and raw material for their manufacture, are known to have moved within Aboriginal social networks and several sites in the Dharawal region have been identified as likely sources of stone for hatchets and other tools. Non- destructive archaeological provenancing of 148 ground edged hatchets from coastal plain and inland findspots in and adjacent to the Dharawal study area provides an opportunity to characterise pre-colonial patterns of raw material use, and movement of artefacts from source to find-spot. Matches to sources within Dharawal country, as well as beyond the region, trace the local and inter-regional social network within which these artefacts and/or raw materials moved. This provenancing research is a component of a broader, Australian Research Council funded, study of Aboriginal exchange systems and social networks in Southeastern Australia 2012-14: Axes, Exchange, Social Change: New Perspectives on Australian Hunter Gatherers (DP12010393), directed by Peter Grave (University of New England) and Val Attenbrow (Australian Museum).

Spatial reconstruction of Early European observations of movement and gathering of Aboriginal people across, and into and out of Dharawal country between 1788 and 1850, allows archaeological and historical social network patterns to be directly compared. Results suggest significant correlation between the two, as well as consistency in the historical pattern over time. This evidence suggests pathways linking Dharawal groups socially and economically, in place prior to the arrival of Europeans, continued to be used throughout the first fifty years of European colonisation. These results that support and enhance previous research findings in the region.

Evidence that this cultural pattern may have remained stable through a period of known social upheaval suggests that the network of pathways interconnecting Dharawal groups, pathways aligned with the distinctive physiography of country, may have also been stable through earlier times of change. If so, this may also shed light on the nature, and function, of this network in the culturally, socially and environmentally dynamic, deeper past.

Special Issue: Tracking Stone: Recent Approaches to Reconstructing the Transport of Lithic Raw Materials and Artifacts - Edited by Kane Ditchfield and Karen Borrazzo. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/journal-of-archaeological-science-reports/special-issue/10Q77W6RC4S

This paper presents the results of recent fieldwork undertaken across the incised valley of Deep Creek at Bulla, Victoria, Australia. New dating evidence was obtained demonstrating occupation of this valley during the Pleistocene to Holocene transition.

Archaeological study of the Maribyrnong River valley north of Melbourne has been crucial to understanding long-term human habitation in Australia. The recent investigations at Deep Creek have yielded new information on the chronology and context of Aboriginal occupation along this tributary of the Maribyrnong. Extensive lithic artefact scatters, featuring diverse materials and forms, span a large alluvial terrace beside a meander bend at the base of the valley. As well as documenting the abundant artefacts present on the surface and at shallow depths below ground, a mechanical excavation clarified the geomorphology of the terrace and verified the presence of deeply buried cultural deposits. Quartzite implements were found within stratified silt deposits of up to 3 m depth, and charcoal samples were recovered from secure cultural contexts. Radiocarbon age estimates of c. 12,100 to 11,400 cal. BP obtained from these samples confirm human occupation of this valley before and during the Pleistocene–Holocene transition.

This contribution presents a different view on the interpretation of the causes of the selection of sites associated with specific activities of Mesolithic groups in Bohemia. Camp sites, hunting camps, places of acquisition of stone raw materials, areas of production and ritual areas weren't randomly distributed across the landscape, but their distribution is subject to certain rules. Selected archaeological sites that reflect activities which are mentioned above were analyzed. Except of position of sites the evaluation of used raw material of chipped stone industry and transport distance were a part of description as well. Identified structures showed, that usage of space was motivated by practical aspects connected with natural factors only in a limited extent and was associated with a specific human activity in the landscape. Traditionally used natural determinants thus become only a part of larger complex, where social and symbolic aspects played a substantial role, for instance establishment of social ties between individuals and communities or symbolic ideas of past people. Used theoretical model was in the phase of interpretation tested by using models derived from ethnoarchaeological
and ethnographical observations especially at the Aboriginal Australians. This contribution represents an attempt to reconstruct past social and symbolic world of hunter-gatherer societies based on substantial parameters, which are difficult to recognize in archaeological sources.

Drawing on archaeology to map 50,000 years of Australia’s ancient past, Ancient Australia Unearthed traces the evidence etched into the skin of this country to reveal the rich and complex history of this unique island continent.

Ancient Australia Unearthed directly addresses the Australian Curriculum: History topic ‘Ancient Australia’. It will also have a broad appeal for anyone wishing to gain an understanding of, and a deeper appreciation for, one of the world’s greatest stories of isolation, resilience and survival.