Out of Africa: human prehistory in southwestern China. This project aims to establish the timing and processes of human settlement in East Asia during the Middle and Late Pleistocene. Through studying a series of key archaeological sites in southwest China using the most recent innovative scientific approaches in luminescence dating, sedimentary DNA and lithic analysis, we expect to provide new insights into the human prehistory of East Asia over the last 300,000 years. This should provide signi ....Out of Africa: human prehistory in southwestern China. This project aims to establish the timing and processes of human settlement in East Asia during the Middle and Late Pleistocene. Through studying a series of key archaeological sites in southwest China using the most recent innovative scientific approaches in luminescence dating, sedimentary DNA and lithic analysis, we expect to provide new insights into the human prehistory of East Asia over the last 300,000 years. This should provide significant contribution to addressing major debates about the timing, rate and route of dispersal of modern humans out of Africa, across south Asia and into Australia. Read moreRead less
Excavating MacGregor: re-connecting a colonial museum collection. Sensing the impacts of colonisation, the first Administrator of British New Guinea William MacGregor made a significant collection of objects specifically for its future citizens. This comprehensive legacy of 13 000 objects did not remain in the country but was dispersed to three Australian and six overseas museums. Our aim is to re-assemble and re-connect this material by 'excavating' its private and official components. This res ....Excavating MacGregor: re-connecting a colonial museum collection. Sensing the impacts of colonisation, the first Administrator of British New Guinea William MacGregor made a significant collection of objects specifically for its future citizens. This comprehensive legacy of 13 000 objects did not remain in the country but was dispersed to three Australian and six overseas museums. Our aim is to re-assemble and re-connect this material by 'excavating' its private and official components. This research aims to focus on the makers and traders to disentangle the social relationships embedded in the objects. Using material-centred, assemblage-based archaeological approaches, we aim to investigate how indigenous groups used objects to negotiate with the new colonial government.Read moreRead less
Urbanism after Angkor (14th-18th century). This project aims to understand changes after the breakdown of low-density urbanism in Cambodia. Recognising the emergence of urban forms after the demise of Angkor challenges the global “Collapse of Civilisation” trope, and redefines the Middle Period of Cambodian history (15th-19th century). This project proposes that continuity, renewal, variety and adaptation are as apparent in Cambodia’s middle period as loss and failure. Applying landscape archaeo ....Urbanism after Angkor (14th-18th century). This project aims to understand changes after the breakdown of low-density urbanism in Cambodia. Recognising the emergence of urban forms after the demise of Angkor challenges the global “Collapse of Civilisation” trope, and redefines the Middle Period of Cambodian history (15th-19th century). This project proposes that continuity, renewal, variety and adaptation are as apparent in Cambodia’s middle period as loss and failure. Applying landscape archaeology to this ‘dark age’ of Southeast Asian history embeds the demise of low-density urbanism and the development of towns in an environmental context. Identifying adaptive pathways after ‘collapse’ could have implications for urbanism in the tropics.Read moreRead less
Proxies of power: ceramics and the Anatolian Iron Age. This project aims to understand the economic and political dynamics of emerging, competing polities during the Early and Middle Iron Age (~1200-600 BCE) in central and west Anatolia. It deploys a new protocol that combines mineralogical with geologically high resolution stable and radio-isotopic techniques for in-hand ceramics and sediments. This project will establish a definitive, spatially-discrete model of ceramic exchange between the ce ....Proxies of power: ceramics and the Anatolian Iron Age. This project aims to understand the economic and political dynamics of emerging, competing polities during the Early and Middle Iron Age (~1200-600 BCE) in central and west Anatolia. It deploys a new protocol that combines mineralogical with geologically high resolution stable and radio-isotopic techniques for in-hand ceramics and sediments. This project will establish a definitive, spatially-discrete model of ceramic exchange between the centres of three contemporary Anatolian polities: Phrygia, Lydia, and Tabal. The project will develop a new understanding of the economic and political transformations of Iron Age history, and expand the capabilities of a range of analytic techniques in archaeological contexts.Read moreRead less
Megalithic Connections: Imperilled Cultural Heritage in Laos and India. This interdisciplinary project aims to document and explore the cultural connections between the geographically disparate megalithic cultures of Laos and India and create an enduring digital record of these threatened cultural assets. Integrating archaeological science and pioneering data capture technologies, the project will create globally significant new knowledge; advance heritage management processes including transfer ....Megalithic Connections: Imperilled Cultural Heritage in Laos and India. This interdisciplinary project aims to document and explore the cultural connections between the geographically disparate megalithic cultures of Laos and India and create an enduring digital record of these threatened cultural assets. Integrating archaeological science and pioneering data capture technologies, the project will create globally significant new knowledge; advance heritage management processes including transferrable exploratory technologies; and help underpin economic, social and cultural benefit in these regions. With an increasing awareness of the need to conserve global cultural assets, Australia will take the lead in developing breakthrough technological solutions and new cross-country research and practitioner capability.Read moreRead less
Crisis as Opportunity: Societal Change in Early Middle Kingdom Egypt. The project aims to address political and social shifts in the ancient Egyptian early Middle Kingdom c. 4000 years ago. For the first time, and with exclusive study concessions from the government of Egypt, material data of the two most significant cemeteries of the period will be investigated. The project not only expects to generate new knowledge about human interaction during crisis but will utilise interdisciplinary resear ....Crisis as Opportunity: Societal Change in Early Middle Kingdom Egypt. The project aims to address political and social shifts in the ancient Egyptian early Middle Kingdom c. 4000 years ago. For the first time, and with exclusive study concessions from the government of Egypt, material data of the two most significant cemeteries of the period will be investigated. The project not only expects to generate new knowledge about human interaction during crisis but will utilise interdisciplinary research strategies to investigate the emerging opportunities, such as social mobility, for individuals from all strata of society. It will provide significant benefits such as understanding the mechanics of post-crisis political leadership and the cultural impact that enabled the classical period of ancient Egypt to emerge.Read moreRead less
The evolution of human innovation in an arid biodiversity hotspot. This project will examine the archaeology and environmental history of South Africa’s Succulent Karoo, the world’s only arid biodiversity hotspot. Arid regions of Africa have historically been marginalised in accounts of human evolution yet recent evidence suggests that they were loci of innovation over the last 120 000 years. To explore the importance of such areas to the evolution of our adaptive capabilities, this project will ....The evolution of human innovation in an arid biodiversity hotspot. This project will examine the archaeology and environmental history of South Africa’s Succulent Karoo, the world’s only arid biodiversity hotspot. Arid regions of Africa have historically been marginalised in accounts of human evolution yet recent evidence suggests that they were loci of innovation over the last 120 000 years. To explore the importance of such areas to the evolution of our adaptive capabilities, this project will produce comprehensive new datasets relating to the climatic, environmental, and social contexts of innovation among early humans occupying the site of Varsche Rivier 003. The results will test prevailing models of human behavioural evolution, shedding new light on how we came to be human. Read moreRead less
Dispersing myths; Characterising human migration through Asia . The human journey across the globe is one of our greatest achievements, yet the archaeological evidence for the earliest migrations is poorly dated, plagued by uncertainty and often overlooked. This project aims to characterise the nature of early human dispersals across Asia en route to Australasia by going beyond the timing and identification of human evidence to explore their behaviour, health and adaptability. Reconsidering ear ....Dispersing myths; Characterising human migration through Asia . The human journey across the globe is one of our greatest achievements, yet the archaeological evidence for the earliest migrations is poorly dated, plagued by uncertainty and often overlooked. This project aims to characterise the nature of early human dispersals across Asia en route to Australasia by going beyond the timing and identification of human evidence to explore their behaviour, health and adaptability. Reconsidering early migrations within their environmental context will allow an assessment of their feasibility and address the disparity between the genetic and physical evidence. By elucidating the story of the greatest human journey we will develop a new understanding and appreciation of our survival and adaption capabilities.Read moreRead less
Bronzes of Xinjiang: technology, society and power on the road to China. This project aims to reveal the backstory to the remarkable development of bronze working in ancient China by studying complex pathways by which metallurgical knowledge spread there from Eurasia through the crossroads region of Xinjiang. It will generate new knowledge through the innovative use of mass elemental analysis of ancient metals from Xinjiang, providing important evidence for early metallurgical techniques. Expec ....Bronzes of Xinjiang: technology, society and power on the road to China. This project aims to reveal the backstory to the remarkable development of bronze working in ancient China by studying complex pathways by which metallurgical knowledge spread there from Eurasia through the crossroads region of Xinjiang. It will generate new knowledge through the innovative use of mass elemental analysis of ancient metals from Xinjiang, providing important evidence for early metallurgical techniques. Expected outcomes include enhanced understanding of the role of developing technology in the consolidation of regional power and its impact on social inequality. Partnerships between Australian, Chinese and UK institutions are expected to expand Australia’s research capability in archaeology, ancient mining and metallurgy. Read moreRead less
Resolving the Maya climate-collapse hypothesis. This project aims to test the climate-collapse theory by developing detailed records of climate and social change from Maya cities that did not collapse, and in doing so identify why some cities were more resilient to the impact of climatic variability than others. Catastrophic climate variability is often invoked to explain the historic collapse of large low-density urban centres in the global tropics. The collapse of the Maya civilisation of Cent ....Resolving the Maya climate-collapse hypothesis. This project aims to test the climate-collapse theory by developing detailed records of climate and social change from Maya cities that did not collapse, and in doing so identify why some cities were more resilient to the impact of climatic variability than others. Catastrophic climate variability is often invoked to explain the historic collapse of large low-density urban centres in the global tropics. The collapse of the Maya civilisation of Central America after the 8th century AD is the archetypal social collapse yet, despite robust evidence for drought across Central America, archaeological evidence suggests a heterogenous social response. This project will reveal what social, material, or environmental properties facilitated resiliency in historic urban centres confronting climatic variability.Read moreRead less