Conference Presentations by Brendan Kneebone
This research used portable X-Ray Fluorescence (pXRF) to geochemically assign an archaeological o... more This research used portable X-Ray Fluorescence (pXRF) to geochemically assign an archaeological obsidian assemblage from Elletts Mountain in the Auckland (Tamaki) region of New Zealand to source. Provenance studies are an important aspect of archaeological research, and the precise results of a modern XRF analysis mean that archaeologists are now capable of separating rocks that appear very similar into distinct source groups rapidly, inexpensively, and in a way which is non-destructive. For this study, 316 flakes of obsidian were geochemically sourced and the results show that over 90% originate from either Mayor Island or Great Barrier Island. These results fit an emerging pattern of obsidian use in the Auckland region whereby an emphasis on Mayor Island material during the Early Period of occupation is replaced by the growing importance of Great Barrier Island obsidian during the Late Period. This potentially indicates a shift in spatial interactions and communication networks among pre-European Maori. This research adds to the existing body of knowledge regarding obsidian use in the wider Auckland region.
Key Words: Obsidian, Sourcing Studies, Geochemical analysis, Spatial Interactions, Communications.
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Thesis Chapters by Brendan Kneebone
Unpublished M.A thesis, 2018
Over the course of around five centuries, pre-European New Zealand society underwent a considerab... more Over the course of around five centuries, pre-European New Zealand society underwent a considerable amount of change in a relatively short period of time. From initial colonisation somewhere around 1200 A.D. to the arrival of Captain Cook in 1769, it is argued that the country witnessed increasing conflict and competition for resources, changes in subsistence and settlement patterns, changes in material culture (i.e. adzes and fishhooks), and shifts and contractions in communication networks. These changes are typically signalled by the extinction of Moa and the decline of large game hunting, increased population and the appearance of fortified Pa, and changes in agricultural practices. It has been argued that changes in adze manufacture and technology occurred amidst these other, far reaching changes in subsistence and settlement patterns. While there is a general model of change within New Zealand, relatively little is still known about most regional rates of change.
The aim of this research is to conduct a comprehensive analysis of stone adzes from around the Auckland (Tamaki) region in the context of the wider New Zealand model of change which has developed over some years and presented in published literature. This analysis was completed using an assemblage of 144 artefacts from eleven different sites with good context and dating information from the Auckland region. The assemblage was divided into four temporal periods spanning the pre-European Maori sequence based on radiocarbon dates. The analysis was completed in three parts; a size and morphology analysis, a typological analysis using the formal Duff/Skinner adze typology, and Turner’s (2000) Use-Life State typology, and a geochemical source analysis.
While superficially the results of this analysis may fit the existing model of change in New Zealand, the timing and rates and of change within this general trend are far more variable than the model might suggest.
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Unpublished BAhons Dissertation, 2016
This research uses portable X-Ray Fluorescence (pXRF) to geochemically assign an archaeological o... more This research uses portable X-Ray Fluorescence (pXRF) to geochemically assign an archaeological obsidian assemblage from Elletts Mountain in the Auckland (Tamaki) region of New Zealand to source. Provenance studies are an important aspect of archaeological research, and the precise results of a modern XRF analysis mean that archaeologists are now capable of separating rocks that appear very similar into distinct source groups rapidly, inexpensively, and in a way which is non-destructive. For this study, 316 flakes of obsidian were geochemically sourced and the results show that over 90% originate from either Mayor Island or Great Barrier Island. These results fit an emerging pattern of obsidian use in the Auckland region whereby an emphasis on Mayor Island material during the Early Period of occupation is replaced by the growing importance of Great Barrier Island obsidian during the Late Period. This potentially indicates a shift in spatial interactions and communication networks among pre-European Maori. This research adds to the existing body of knowledge regarding obsidian use in the wider Auckland region.
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Papers by Brendan Kneebone
Geochemical fingerprinting of artefacts and sources has proven to be the most effective way to us... more Geochemical fingerprinting of artefacts and sources has proven to be the most effective way to use material evidence in order to reconstruct strategies of raw material procurement, exchange systems, and mobility patterns among past societies. In order to facilitate access to this growing body of data and to promote comparability and reproducibility in provenance studies, we designed Pofatu, the first online and open-access database presenting geochemical compositions and contextual information for archaeological sources and artefacts. The data repository includes a compilation of geochemical data and supporting analytical metadata, as well as the archaeological provenance and context for each sample. All information on Samples related to sources and artefacts can be accessed on this platform or downloaded from Zenodo or GitHub. While most prehistoric quarries and surface procurement sources used in the past have yet to be identified, provenance studies must also integrate wide and r...
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Archaeology in Oceania, 2019
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Scientific Data, 2020
Compositional analyses have long been used to determine the geological sources of artefacts. Geoc... more Compositional analyses have long been used to determine the geological sources of artefacts. Geochemical “fingerprinting” of artefacts and sources is the most effective way to reconstruct strategies of raw material and artefact procurement, exchange or interaction systems, and mobility patterns during prehistory. The efficacy and popularity of geochemical sourcing has led to many projects using various analytical techniques to produce independent datasets. In order to facilitate access to this growing body of data and to promote comparability and reproducibility in provenance studies, we designed Pofatu, the first online and open-access database to present geochemical compositions and contextual information for archaeological sources and artefacts in a form that can be readily accessed by the scientific community. This relational database currently contains 7759 individual samples from archaeological sites and geological sources across the Pacific Islands. Each sample is comprehensi...
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Over the course of around five centuries, pre-European New Zealand society underwent a considerab... more Over the course of around five centuries, pre-European New Zealand society underwent a considerable amount of change in a relatively short period of time. From initial colonisation somewhere around 1200 A.D. to the arrival of Captain Cook in 1769, it is argued that the country witnessed increasing conflict and competition for resources, changes in subsistence and settlement patterns, changes in material culture (i.e. adzes and fishhooks), and shifts and contractions in communication networks. These changes are typically signalled by the extinction of Moa and the decline of large game hunting, increased population and the appearance of fortified Pa, and changes in agricultural practices. It has been argued that changes in adze manufacture and technology occurred amidst these other, far reaching changes in subsistence and settlement patterns. While there is a general model of change within New Zealand, relatively little is still known about most regional rates of change. The aim of this research is to conduct a comprehensive analysis of stone adzes from around the Auckland (Tamaki) region in the context of the wider New Zealand model of change which has developed over some years and presented in published literature. This analysis was completed using an assemblage of 144 artefacts from eleven different sites with good context and dating information from the Auckland region. The assemblage was divided into four temporal periods spanning the pre-European Maori sequence based on radiocarbon dates. The analysis was completed in three parts; a size and morphology analysis, a typological analysis using the formal Duff/Skinner adze typology, and Turner’s (2000) Use-Life State typology, and a geochemical source analysis. While superficially the results of this analysis may fit the existing model of change in New Zealand, the timing and rates and of change within this general trend are far more variable than the model might suggest.
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Journal of Open Archaeology Data
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Scientific Data, 2020
Compositional analyses have long been used to determine the geological sources of artefacts. Geoc... more Compositional analyses have long been used to determine the geological sources of artefacts. Geochemical "fingerprinting" of artefacts and sources is the most effective way to reconstruct strategies of raw material and artefact procurement, exchange or interaction systems, and mobility patterns during prehistory. The efficacy and popularity of geochemical sourcing has led to many projects using various analytical techniques to produce independent datasets. In order to facilitate access to this growing body of data and to promote comparability and reproducibility in provenance studies, we designed Pofatu, the first online and open-access database to present geochemical compositions and contextual information for archaeological sources and artefacts in a form that can be readily accessed by the scientific community. This relational database currently contains 7759 individual samples from archaeological sites and geological sources across the Pacific Islands. Each sample is comprehensively documented and includes elemental and isotopic compositions, detailed archaeological provenance, and supporting analytical metadata, such as sampling processes, analytical procedures, and quality control.
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Archaeology in Oceania, 2019
This study examines evidence for change in adze form and raw materials in the Auckland (Tamaki) r... more This study examines evidence for change in adze form and raw materials in the Auckland (Tamaki) region using a sample of 144 adzes from 11 securely dated assemblages spanning the pre-European Maori sequence. Non-destructive portable X-ray fluorescence geochemical analyses indicate that the assemblages were dominated by two stone sources throughout the sequence; locally available Motutapu greywacke, and Tahanga basalt from the Coromandel Peninsula some 100 km distant. Additional analyses, incorporating adze form and use-life data, indicate that both materials were used in a similar manner. The results of this study suggest that, although patterns of change argued for in existing models of New Zealand's prehistory provide a broad overview of general trends, targeted studies also are required to identify regional variation. R ´ ESUMÉESUM´ESUMÉ Cet article porte sur l'analyse d'unéchantillonun´unéchantillon de 144 herminettes, venant de 11 assemblages datés avec certitude et couvrant la période Maori pré-Européenne, afin de déterminer un potentiel changement de formes des herminettes et dematì erespremì eres utilisées dans la région d'Auckland (Tamaki). Les analyses géochimiques non-destructives (spectrométrie portative par fluorescence X) indiquent que les matériaux utilisés durant cette période proviennent principalement de deux sources: la grauwacke de l'ˆ ıle de Motutapu, situéè a proximité immédiate dans le golfe de Hauraki, et le basalte de lacarrì ere de Tahanga (Péninsule de Coromandel), distante de 100 km. Les analyses complémentaires intégrant des données morphologiques, technologiques et fonctionnelles des herminettes indiquent que lesmatì eres premì eres de ces deux sourcesétaientsources´sourcesétaient utilisées demanì ere similaire. Bien que les changements identifiés dans les modèles actuels concernant la préhistoire néo-zélandaise donnent un large aperçu des tendances générales, les résultats présentés suggèrent que desétudes des´desétudes ciblées sont aussi nécessairesnécessaires`nécessairesà l'identification des variations régionales. Mots-clés: Herminettes en pierre, modèle de changement néo-zélandais, Auckland (Tamaki), Nouvelle-Zélande pré-Européenne, changement au fil du temps, caractérisation géochimique
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Conference Presentations by Brendan Kneebone
Key Words: Obsidian, Sourcing Studies, Geochemical analysis, Spatial Interactions, Communications.
Thesis Chapters by Brendan Kneebone
The aim of this research is to conduct a comprehensive analysis of stone adzes from around the Auckland (Tamaki) region in the context of the wider New Zealand model of change which has developed over some years and presented in published literature. This analysis was completed using an assemblage of 144 artefacts from eleven different sites with good context and dating information from the Auckland region. The assemblage was divided into four temporal periods spanning the pre-European Maori sequence based on radiocarbon dates. The analysis was completed in three parts; a size and morphology analysis, a typological analysis using the formal Duff/Skinner adze typology, and Turner’s (2000) Use-Life State typology, and a geochemical source analysis.
While superficially the results of this analysis may fit the existing model of change in New Zealand, the timing and rates and of change within this general trend are far more variable than the model might suggest.
Papers by Brendan Kneebone
Key Words: Obsidian, Sourcing Studies, Geochemical analysis, Spatial Interactions, Communications.
The aim of this research is to conduct a comprehensive analysis of stone adzes from around the Auckland (Tamaki) region in the context of the wider New Zealand model of change which has developed over some years and presented in published literature. This analysis was completed using an assemblage of 144 artefacts from eleven different sites with good context and dating information from the Auckland region. The assemblage was divided into four temporal periods spanning the pre-European Maori sequence based on radiocarbon dates. The analysis was completed in three parts; a size and morphology analysis, a typological analysis using the formal Duff/Skinner adze typology, and Turner’s (2000) Use-Life State typology, and a geochemical source analysis.
While superficially the results of this analysis may fit the existing model of change in New Zealand, the timing and rates and of change within this general trend are far more variable than the model might suggest.