Community Archaeology: Working Ancient Aboriginal Wetlands in Eastern Australia

Wendy Beck, Catherine Clarke, Robert Haworth, Wendy Beck, Catherine Clarke, Robert Haworth

• Publisher: Archaeopress Access Archaeology
• Year: 2023
• Topic: Social Sciences
• eBook ISBN:
  9781789694819
• Subtopic: Physical Anthropology
• Index: Social Sciences

Community Archaeology presents the results of an investigation of wetland heritage in eastern Australia, with important contributions to the archaeology of the Tasmanian Midlands and the New England Tablelands. In this first substantial project in these bioregions since 1991, OSL and radiocarbon dating at lagoon sites provided dates going back to 8000 BP, significantly extending previous information. In both regions a range of stone artefact scatters were recorded adjacent to lagoons, suggesting associated ceremonial activities. Across the regions, new OSL dates were obtained for lunette formation. These were unexpectedly diverse, with OSL dates not clustered around the Last Glacial Maximum at 20k. With sediment particle sizes suggesting both wind and water deposition, quite individual local lunette depositional histories not closely related to global climates are indicated. The book also contributes to the important global field of community engagement and education. Unlike most projects where Aboriginal people are involved in commercial archaeology, this project focussed on research. Community Elders were research team partners during fieldwork and training. Work-integrated -learning, at University and on-country locations, proved very successful as a learning approach for young participants.

Table of contents

• Cover
• About Access Archaeology
• Title Page
• Copyright Information
• Dedication
• Summary
• Contents
• List of Figures
• List of Tables
• Contributors
• Acknowledgements
• Introduction
• Chapter 1: Indigenous Participation and Aboriginal Education
• Chapter 2: Connections—Aboriginal Participants’ Reflections: a Photo Essay
• Chapter 3: Fieldwork, Sampling and Study Areas
• Chapter 4: Dating and Chronology
• Chapter 5: Formation and development of upland lake-lunette systems in northern New South Wales, Australia, and their relation to climate, ecological change and human occupation
• Chapter 6: A Review of the Archaeological Record of Surface Sites, New England Bioregion
• Chapter 7: Lagoon Excavations: New England Tableland Bioregion
• Chapter 8: Silcrete Grinding Grooves in New England, NSW
• Chapter 9: Contrasting Lake Formation and Late-Glacial Aeolian Activity Between the Tasmanian Central Plateau and Adjacent Midlands Graben
• Chapter 10: The Archaeology of Lagoons of the Tasmanian Midlands and Eastern Central Plateau and Its Role in Re-Interpreting Past Tasmanian Aboriginal Landscape Use and Meaning
• Chapter 11: The Tasmanian and New England Research in a Global Setting
• Appendix A: Analyst Report for Radiocarbon Dating
• Appendix B: Luminescence Dating of Sediments from Wetland Sites in New England, New South Wales, and Tasmania, Australia
• Appendix C: Luminescence Dating of Sediments from New England and Tasmanian Wetland Sites
• Appendix D: New England Tablelands Sediment Profile Descriptions
• Appendix E: Mapping and Characterisation of Silcrete and Axe Grinding Grooves in the New England Region, NSW