Research Interests:
Research Interests:
In 2005 the excavation of a new rockshelter in Papua New Guinea, Watinglo, unearthed the unusual find of four stone disc-shaped beads. Beads such as this have not hitherto been reported from Papua New Guinea. The context, age, technology... more
In 2005 the excavation of a new rockshelter in Papua New Guinea, Watinglo, unearthed the unusual find of four stone disc-shaped beads. Beads such as this have not hitherto been reported from Papua New Guinea. The context, age, technology of manufacture and petrography of the beads are described.
Research Interests:
This paper documents some observations resulting from several months of archaeological reconnaissance on offshore islands in the Buccaneer Archipelago, west Kimberley which I believe to be pertinent to a consideration of prehistoric site... more
This paper documents some observations resulting from several months of archaeological reconnaissance on offshore islands in the Buccaneer Archipelago, west Kimberley which I believe to be pertinent to a consideration of prehistoric site patterning in this region. Several trips to the islands were made accompanied by people from the One Arm Point and Mowanjum Aboriginal Communities whose comments have stimulated the ideas presented here. These trips were not made with the objective of recording contemporary resource use by Aboriginal people in this area today, but rather to locate archaeological sites. The observations relating to contemporary land use are therefore of a general nature, and are used solely to generate a model whereby the patterning of prehistoric sites may be understood.
Research Interests:
Representatives of the Diodontidae family (porcupinefish) are known to have been fished by prehistoric Indo-Pacific populations; however, the antiquity of the use of this family is thus far unknown. We report here on the presence of... more
Representatives of the Diodontidae family (porcupinefish) are known to have been fished by prehistoric Indo-Pacific populations; however, the antiquity of the use of this family is thus far unknown. We report here on the presence of Diodontidae in the archaeological sites of Bubog I, II, and Bilat in Mindoro, Philippines, dating back to c. 13,000 BP (Before Present). This evidence demonstrates the early exploitation by islanders of poisonous fish. Every part of porcupinefish can be toxic, but the toxicity is mostly concentrated in some organs, while other parts are edible. The continuous presence of Diodontidae remains throughout the stratigraphic record of these Philippines shell middens suggests that porcupinefish were prepared by human inhabitants of the sites to render them safe for consumption, indicating an advanced cultural knowledge of the preparation needed to separate the toxic principle from the edible parts. This constitutes one of the rare examples of poison processing ...
Research Interests:
Burial elaborations are a human behaviour that, in recent contexts can inform on social diversification, belief systems, and the introduction of new practices resulting from migration or cultural transmission. The study of mortuary... more
Burial elaborations are a human behaviour that, in recent contexts can inform on social diversification, belief systems, and the introduction of new practices resulting from migration or cultural transmission. The study of mortuary practices in Mainland and Island Southeast Asia has revealed complex and diverse treatments of the deceased. This paper contributes to this topic with the description of three new burials excavated in Tron Bon Lei (Alor Island, Indonesia) dated to 7.5, 10, and 12 kya cal BP. In addition to the bioskeletal profiles and palaeohealth observations, we propose the adoption of archaeothanatological methods to characterise burial types in the region. Through the analysis of skeletal element representation, body position, articulation, and grave associations, we provide an example of a holistic approach to mortuary treatments in the Lesser Sunda Islands. Our results provide significant new data for understanding the evolution and diversification of burial practic...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
The dispersal of Homo sapiens to Sahul required passage through the vast Wallacean archipelago, resulting in the first large-scale modern human maritime migration. This migration likely required social, technological, and economic... more
The dispersal of Homo sapiens to Sahul required passage through the vast Wallacean archipelago, resulting in the first large-scale modern human maritime migration. This migration likely required social, technological, and economic innovations as modern humans island-hopped east towards Sahul (the combined Pleistocene landmass of Australia, New Guinea, and the Aru Islands). The dispersal pathways through Wallacea are not well documented archaeologically, with theoretical and computational models of dispersal still playing an important role in our understanding of the region. This article reviews the archaeological and fossil evidence for the earliest H. sapiens presence in Wallacea; suggests possible overlap with archaic humans; and summarizes the findings of recent modelling for modern human migrations through Wallacea. The archaeological record of Wallacea attributed to H. sapiens is currently younger than that found in either Sunda (now comprising the western portion of Island Sou...
Research Interests:
The tropical archipelago of Wallacea contains thousands of individual islands interspersed between mainland Asia and Near Oceania, and marks the location of a series of ancient oceanic voyages leading to the peopling of Sahul—i.e., the... more
The tropical archipelago of Wallacea contains thousands of individual islands interspersed between mainland Asia and Near Oceania, and marks the location of a series of ancient oceanic voyages leading to the peopling of Sahul—i.e., the former continent that joined Australia and New Guinea at a time of lowered sea level—by 50,000 years ago. Despite the apparent deep antiquity of human presence in Wallacea, prior population history research in this region has been hampered by patchy archaeological and genetic records and is largely concentrated upon more recent history that follows the arrival of Austronesian seafarers ~3000–4000 years ago (3–4 ka). To shed light on the deeper history of Wallacea and its connections with New Guinea and Australia, we performed phylogeographic analyses on 656 whole mitogenomes from these three regions, including 186 new samples from eight Wallacean islands and three West Papuan populations. Our results point to a surprisingly dynamic population history ...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
ABSTRACT Wallacea is the transitional biogeographic zone between the continents of Sunda (Southeast Asia) and Sahul (Australian-New Guinea). It consists of a series of island chains unique in the region for never having been connected to... more
ABSTRACT Wallacea is the transitional biogeographic zone between the continents of Sunda (Southeast Asia) and Sahul (Australian-New Guinea). It consists of a series of island chains unique in the region for never having been connected to either continent. Movement of early modern humans from Sunda to Sahul during the late Pleistocene required dispersal through Wallacea, and hence would have necessitated sea crossings. However, the archeological evidence for early modern humans in Wallacea is still a work in progress, and none of it pre-dates the archeological record from Sahul. While numerous models of this significant colonization event have been proposed, selecting the most likely model for first landfall in Sahul using current archeological evidence has proven difficult, if not impossible. Here the late Pleistocene archeological evidence of early modern humans from Wallacea and its neighbors are reviewed, and the key colonization models that have been proposed are explored. We consider the use of computer simulations and the input variables necessary to test the likelihood of the different colonization models. We highlight the importance of the greater than 100 additional submerged islands observed within the Wallacean archipelago following a simple analysis of bathymetric data and sea-level curves, and their potential impacts on the dispersal and ecology of early human colonizers.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests: Geography, Archaeology, Geology, Taphonomy, Pleistocene, and 4 moreCave, Early Pleistocene, Timor Leste, and Woodland
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Prehistoric archaeology has demonstrated that a preference for the colour red has been a persistent feature of human cultures since around 200,000 years ago. Using microscopic examination techniques for ochre nodules and portable items of... more
Prehistoric archaeology has demonstrated that a preference for the colour red has been a persistent feature of human cultures since around 200,000 years ago. Using microscopic examination techniques for ochre nodules and portable items of material culture such as beads, pendants, and figurines advancing over the past quarter of a century, we have become aware of just how ubiquitous the use of red colourants in past cultures has been. In this chapter, we explore the evidence for ochre use in Timor-Leste and the wider archaeological and ethnographic contexts of Southeast Asia. In particular, we consider the importance of the colour red in the portable art traditions of the region.
Research Interests: History and Timor Leste
ABSTRACTThis paper reviews the zooarchaeological and historical evidence of insular bat hunting in the Asia‐Pacific, spanning the late Pleistocene to the ethnographic present. A sample of archaeofauna assemblages (n = 18) examined from... more
ABSTRACTThis paper reviews the zooarchaeological and historical evidence of insular bat hunting in the Asia‐Pacific, spanning the late Pleistocene to the ethnographic present. A sample of archaeofauna assemblages (n = 18) examined from both cave and open beach archaeological sites reveal a number of issues, which may have obscured archaeological interpretations. These include variability in identification protocols and taphonomic assessment of assemblages between sites and regions. Based on current evidence, it appears that bats were optimal dietary resources in areas where their abundance was concentrated on faunally depauperate islands. Islanders targeted large fruit bats and opportunistically exploited smaller bats either in caves or forest environments using simple technologies, and possibly as early as 74 kya by Homo floresiensis on Flores. Later Neolithic migrations into Remote Oceania during the late Holocene appear to have resulted in the greatest impacts on bat diversity due to hunting and landscape degradation. This pattern of rapid human impact is also likely to reflect differences in biogeography and higher archaeological visibility of colonising sites in Remote Oceania.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
The dingo, or native dog, arrived in Australia with people traveling on watercraft in the Late Holocene. By the time Europeans colonized the continent, dingoes were incorporated into the lives of Indigenous Australians, integrated into... more
The dingo, or native dog, arrived in Australia with people traveling on watercraft in the Late Holocene. By the time Europeans colonized the continent, dingoes were incorporated into the lives of Indigenous Australians, integrated into their kin systems and songlines, and used for a variety of purposes, including as companion animals, as guards, and as a biotechnology for hunting. Women, in particular, formed close bonds with dingoes, and they were widely used in women’s hunting. The incorporation of dingoes into Indigenous societies would therefore have had a significant impact on people’s lives. The greater contribution of meat to the diet would have allowed increased sedentism, improved fecundity, and therefore population growth. Such changes are hinted at in the archaeological record and indicate that more analysis of subsistence evidence could identify when and how the dingo–human relationship formed and how it varied in different environments across Australia.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests: Performing Arts, Art, Narrative, Painting, Visual Arts, and 4 moreNarrative Art, Rock Art, Mnemonic, and Springer Ebooks
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
The fieldwork and dating for this project were supported by the Australian Research Council (ARC) DP0451043 and undertaken with permissions from the PNG National Museum and Art Gallery (NM&AG) and the Sandaun Provincial Government.... more
The fieldwork and dating for this project were supported by the Australian Research Council (ARC) DP0451043 and undertaken with permissions from the PNG National Museum and Art Gallery (NM&AG) and the Sandaun Provincial Government. Additional radiocarbon dates were funded by ARC FL120100156
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Archaeological evidence suggests that dogs were introduced to the islands of Oceania via Island Southeast Asia around 3,300 years ago, and reached the eastern islands of Polynesia by the fourteenth century AD. This dispersal is intimately... more
Archaeological evidence suggests that dogs were introduced to the islands of Oceania via Island Southeast Asia around 3,300 years ago, and reached the eastern islands of Polynesia by the fourteenth century AD. This dispersal is intimately tied to human expansion, but the involvement of dogs in Pacific migrations is not well understood. Our analyses of seven new complete ancient mitogenomes and five partial mtDNA sequences from archaeological dog specimens from Mainland and Island Southeast Asia and the Pacific suggests at least three dog dispersal events into the region, in addition to the introduction of dingoes to Australia. We see an early introduction of dogs to Island Southeast Asia, which does not appear to extend into the islands of Oceania. A shared haplogroup identified between Iron Age Taiwanese dogs, terminal-Lapita and post-Lapita dogs suggests that at least one dog lineage was introduced to Near Oceania by or as the result of interactions with Austronesian language spea...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
This article reports preliminary excavation results and radiocarbon dates obtained for an Aboriginal occupation site in the northeastern Goldfields region: Katampul Shelter (Department of Aboriginal Affairs site registration no. WO 1821)... more
This article reports preliminary excavation results and radiocarbon dates obtained for an Aboriginal occupation site in the northeastern Goldfields region: Katampul Shelter (Department of Aboriginal Affairs site registration no. WO 1821) (Figures 1, 2 and 3). This rock shelter has a rich cultural sequence spanning the mid to late Holocene, closely overlying a near-basal date of 21,000 BP which is associated with small numbers of stone artefacts. This is the first Pleistocene date for an Aboriginal occupation site within this region. The likelihood that there is a cultural association between the Pleistocene date and the stone artefacts found in the same deposits is considered. The signficance of the dates is discussed within the context of previous models for the colonisation and use of the arid zone in Western Australia.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests: Geography and Archaeology
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
The Wallacea Archipelago provides an extraordinary laboratory for the study of human colonisation and adaptation, yet few detailed archaeological studies have been conducted in the region that span the earliest phase of human settlement.... more
The Wallacea Archipelago provides an extraordinary laboratory for the study of human colonisation and adaptation, yet few detailed archaeological studies have been conducted in the region that span the earliest phase of human settlement. Laili Cave, in northern Timor-Leste, preserves the oldest human occupation in this insular region with a cultural sequence spanning 11,200 to 44,600 cal BP. Small-bodied vertebrates and invertebrates were recovered to the lowest excavated levels, associated with highly concentrated stone artefacts. We report on human behavioural adaptations within the context of Pleistocene environments and changing landscapes using zooarchaeological, stone artefact, bathymetric, and experimental isotopic analyses. Results indicate that Pleistocene humans used the abundant local chert liberally and engaged in mobile broad-spectrum exploitation of invertebrates and fishes from marine, estuarine, and freshwater environments within close proximity of Laili Cave. The faunal assemblage indicates heterogeneous but relatively stable environments during the late Pleistocene. Variability in subsistence strategies over time appears to be a response to changing landscapes and concomitant local resources. This record contrasts with marine specialisations evident from other sites in Timor-Leste and within the broader Wallacean region.