Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE170100464
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$360,724.00
Summary
Conservatism as a dynamic response to the diffusion of innovations. This project aims to investigate how resistance to new and foreign practices and technologies can be a dynamic response to rapid cultural change, rather than a failure to innovate. The project will examine the underlying factors that influence innovation adoption and rejection. It will examine settlement structure and ritual activities in later prehistoric Cornwall, which was simultaneously a key node in the prehistoric economy ....Conservatism as a dynamic response to the diffusion of innovations. This project aims to investigate how resistance to new and foreign practices and technologies can be a dynamic response to rapid cultural change, rather than a failure to innovate. The project will examine the underlying factors that influence innovation adoption and rejection. It will examine settlement structure and ritual activities in later prehistoric Cornwall, which was simultaneously a key node in the prehistoric economy and a periphery, with a distinctly local material culture and way of life. The intended outcome is a model of innovation and conservatism, linking the uptake of new ideas and technologies to participation in local and more widespread networks of contact and exchange. This project will increase the profile of Australian research in archaeology and technology on the world stage.Read moreRead less
Kin and connection: Ancient DNA between the science and the social. This project aims to capitalise on the emerging wealth of ancient DNA data to build bridges between social and scientific archaeologies. It expects to create new knowledge by integrating genetic data with social models of kinship, applying an innovative, cross-disciplinary methodology to the uniquely rich and well-documented archaeological record of prehistoric Europe. Expected outcomes include a new framework for understanding ....Kin and connection: Ancient DNA between the science and the social. This project aims to capitalise on the emerging wealth of ancient DNA data to build bridges between social and scientific archaeologies. It expects to create new knowledge by integrating genetic data with social models of kinship, applying an innovative, cross-disciplinary methodology to the uniquely rich and well-documented archaeological record of prehistoric Europe. Expected outcomes include a new framework for understanding past kinship and the formation of a new interdisciplinary and international research network. Significant benefits include increased value of legacy collections, capacity building in archaeology, and positioning Australia at the forefront of major developments in ancient DNA and archaeological science.Read moreRead less
Evolution of the Economic Landscape in Taiwan: Looking Inward and Outward. Over several centuries since 4000 BC, the social-ecological setting of Taiwan transformed from low-impact hunting-foraging to high-density village residence and intensive farming. Meanwhile, it was reshaped by new strategic relations with the outside world through migration and trade networks. New research aims to investigate how these long-term developments inter-related and transcended changing climate, natural habitats ....Evolution of the Economic Landscape in Taiwan: Looking Inward and Outward. Over several centuries since 4000 BC, the social-ecological setting of Taiwan transformed from low-impact hunting-foraging to high-density village residence and intensive farming. Meanwhile, it was reshaped by new strategic relations with the outside world through migration and trade networks. New research aims to investigate how these long-term developments inter-related and transcended changing climate, natural habitats, population size, and other factors. The research is designed to address how a complex economic landscape system developed and sustained itself through ongoing challenges, by concentrating on Taiwan as a uniquely informative example of combined intensive internal land-use and external partnerships.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
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE200100597
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$399,551.00
Summary
Pacific Matildas: finding the women in the history of Pacific archaeology. This project aims to investigate the scientific lives and contributions of women in the development of a particular discipline; using Pacific archaeology as a case study. The history of science has traditionally produced gender biased narratives, so an innovative interdisciplinary approach will be developed to document the hidden role of women in the history of archaeology. New knowledge will be generated in the history o ....Pacific Matildas: finding the women in the history of Pacific archaeology. This project aims to investigate the scientific lives and contributions of women in the development of a particular discipline; using Pacific archaeology as a case study. The history of science has traditionally produced gender biased narratives, so an innovative interdisciplinary approach will be developed to document the hidden role of women in the history of archaeology. New knowledge will be generated in the history of science, archaeology and gender studies. Anticipated outcomes include (i) a more inclusive history that provides diverse role models of women in science from our region, (ii) the identification of socio-cultural patterns limiting women's careers and successful strategies historically developed to overcome these.Read moreRead less
The Maritime Silk Route as a world system. New archaeological evidence suggests that cultural interaction along the Maritime Silk Route was more complex than previously held. By using new analytical techniques to source artefacts from pre-Oc Eo sites in South Vietnam, this project will provide new insights into the production and distribution of trade goods 2000 years ago.
Beyond migration and diffusion: The prehistoric mobility of people & ideas. The project plans to build on the strength of current collaborations between archaeologists and geochemists to ask novel questions about the movement of people and ideas in prehistory. The project plans to examine spatial and temporal patterns in population mobility to clarify their relationship with the appearance of new and exotic materials, technologies and practices. The project focuses on the ways in which the movem ....Beyond migration and diffusion: The prehistoric mobility of people & ideas. The project plans to build on the strength of current collaborations between archaeologists and geochemists to ask novel questions about the movement of people and ideas in prehistory. The project plans to examine spatial and temporal patterns in population mobility to clarify their relationship with the appearance of new and exotic materials, technologies and practices. The project focuses on the ways in which the movement of individuals and groups of people is both an instigator and a response to sociocultural change, using both key European and Pacific Island examples, to help build a comparative archaeology of phenomena of rapid social and economic change, with pertinence to general theories of innovation and adoption.Read moreRead less
Prosperity along the sea in the Asia Pacific at 5000-3000 BC. This project aims to address how complex hunter-gatherers sustained large villages along the South China Coast for 2 millennia. About 7000 years ago, the people and landscape of this region began a long journey of transformation when affluent village systems appeared. Combining archaeology with archaeo-botany, palaeo-landscape reconstruction, and bio-archaeology, this project seeks to learn how these early coastal societies contribute ....Prosperity along the sea in the Asia Pacific at 5000-3000 BC. This project aims to address how complex hunter-gatherers sustained large villages along the South China Coast for 2 millennia. About 7000 years ago, the people and landscape of this region began a long journey of transformation when affluent village systems appeared. Combining archaeology with archaeo-botany, palaeo-landscape reconstruction, and bio-archaeology, this project seeks to learn how these early coastal societies contributed to regional social-economic developments, in a time long prior to written chronicles. The project expects to support new comprehension of these unique coastal communities and their relationship with others in the broader Asia-Pacific region.Read moreRead less
The First Polynesians: Their Origins, Lifeways and Environmental Challenges. This project uses an interdisciplinary approach to examine the biological, cultural and environmental factors underpinning the Polynesian people through a study of their ancient homeland in Tonga. Early Polynesian society developed 2650-2350 years ago, but little is known about the people, their culture and how sea-level fall impacted subsistence and settlement. The proposed study’s goal is to fill this gap in human kno ....The First Polynesians: Their Origins, Lifeways and Environmental Challenges. This project uses an interdisciplinary approach to examine the biological, cultural and environmental factors underpinning the Polynesian people through a study of their ancient homeland in Tonga. Early Polynesian society developed 2650-2350 years ago, but little is known about the people, their culture and how sea-level fall impacted subsistence and settlement. The proposed study’s goal is to fill this gap in human knowledge about our Pacific neighbours using a unique skeletal assemblage, excavated cultural remains and advanced mapping of palaeo-sea-level markers that will improve understanding of the impact of environmental change on human societies in our region.Read moreRead less
Warfare and the Archaic State in Oceania. The project aim is to investigate warfare in the ancient Tongan state through a study of earthwork fortifications. The conflict record for an Archaic state in Oceania that survived for 650 years contributes a new perspective to global research on warfare in complex societies. The effect of conflict is a prominent issue for Australia and long-term records of warfare in our region will improve our understanding of it. Intra-state conflict is the most press ....Warfare and the Archaic State in Oceania. The project aim is to investigate warfare in the ancient Tongan state through a study of earthwork fortifications. The conflict record for an Archaic state in Oceania that survived for 650 years contributes a new perspective to global research on warfare in complex societies. The effect of conflict is a prominent issue for Australia and long-term records of warfare in our region will improve our understanding of it. Intra-state conflict is the most pressing threat to political stability in South-East Asia and the Pacific and the project would benefit Australia by showing how changes to political systems are associated with phases of conflict and peace.Read moreRead less