The colonial souvenir market and Indigenous agency in Oceania. This project focuses on the objects from the late nineteenth and early twentieth century which were sold as Indigenous 'curios' to the general public through a Sydney museum. While much of the literature on collecting has focused on the role of institutional collecting the project examines popular objects which the general public purchased. This project will contribute to the growing importance of research into colonialism in the reg ....The colonial souvenir market and Indigenous agency in Oceania. This project focuses on the objects from the late nineteenth and early twentieth century which were sold as Indigenous 'curios' to the general public through a Sydney museum. While much of the literature on collecting has focused on the role of institutional collecting the project examines popular objects which the general public purchased. This project will contribute to the growing importance of research into colonialism in the region, drawing together the results of research from the fields of archaeology, anthropology and material culture studies.Read moreRead less
Using fossil insects and plants to recognise past human impacts on Pacific island biodiversity. This project will enhance our ability to characterise human impact on island biodiversity. It will develop novel research methods that can be applied in the Australian context to understand changes in biodiversity that come with human impact. The contemporary emphasis on biosecurity in the protection of Australia's unique environment against human-introduced exotic pests and diseases can be better und ....Using fossil insects and plants to recognise past human impacts on Pacific island biodiversity. This project will enhance our ability to characterise human impact on island biodiversity. It will develop novel research methods that can be applied in the Australian context to understand changes in biodiversity that come with human impact. The contemporary emphasis on biosecurity in the protection of Australia's unique environment against human-introduced exotic pests and diseases can be better understood in the context of past introductions. Our project will demonstrate the role Australian archaeologists and natural scientists can play in understanding the spread of humans across the Pacific and the environmental consequences of colonisation. It will increase collaboration between research institutions in the Australia/Pacific region.Read moreRead less
From the Desert to the Sea: Managing Rock Art, Country and Culture. This Project will expand our understanding of Aboriginal settlement and land-use in north-west Australia by investigating how the mythological narratives of Australia’s deserts enable the transmission of knowledge in water-limited environments. Combining traditional ecological knowledge and novel scientific approaches (e.g. anthracology, remote sensing, oxygen-isotopes) will provide new insights into human behaviours at rock art ....From the Desert to the Sea: Managing Rock Art, Country and Culture. This Project will expand our understanding of Aboriginal settlement and land-use in north-west Australia by investigating how the mythological narratives of Australia’s deserts enable the transmission of knowledge in water-limited environments. Combining traditional ecological knowledge and novel scientific approaches (e.g. anthracology, remote sensing, oxygen-isotopes) will provide new insights into human behaviours at rock art site complexes. It will develop management regimes and formal certification for Indigenous rangers while building heritage capacity in these partner communities: enabling intergenerational, culturally appropriate knowledge transfer protocols are in place to ensure sustainable economic heritage futures.Read moreRead less
Hellenistic Jebel Khalid on the Euphrates,North Syria: the archaeology and history of a Seleucid settlement. Jebel Khalid, a large fortified town guarding a strategic crossing-point on the Euphrates, appears to have been established as a military colony early in the Seleucid period (?=Syrian Amphipolis). Excavation is revealing how far the immigrant Greek/Macedonian colonists settled down to live with the native populations. It is also revealing much about Greek defence systems; about adaptation ....Hellenistic Jebel Khalid on the Euphrates,North Syria: the archaeology and history of a Seleucid settlement. Jebel Khalid, a large fortified town guarding a strategic crossing-point on the Euphrates, appears to have been established as a military colony early in the Seleucid period (?=Syrian Amphipolis). Excavation is revealing how far the immigrant Greek/Macedonian colonists settled down to live with the native populations. It is also revealing much about Greek defence systems; about adaptations of Greek architecture and town-planning (both public and domestic) to local conditions; about civic amenities as well as domestic and religious life; about economic and trading contacts. Important stratigraphic control is also being established over dating Hellenistic pottery, both imported and local wares.Read moreRead less
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
The Sir Edward Pellew Group of Islands, Gulf of Carpentaria Archaeological Project. This field-based project investigates patterns of past Aboriginal island use in the south-west Gulf of Carpentaria. It addresses the nature and chronology of island habitation, and how people in the Gulf responded to the post-glacial sea level rise. Did people in northern Australia become stranded on islands in the mid-Holocene as they did on Flinders and Kangaroos Islands in the south, or were watercraft alread ....The Sir Edward Pellew Group of Islands, Gulf of Carpentaria Archaeological Project. This field-based project investigates patterns of past Aboriginal island use in the south-west Gulf of Carpentaria. It addresses the nature and chronology of island habitation, and how people in the Gulf responded to the post-glacial sea level rise. Did people in northern Australia become stranded on islands in the mid-Holocene as they did on Flinders and Kangaroos Islands in the south, or were watercraft already part of their material culture? This and other issues such as the cultural relationship between the present-day Yanyuwa and past island inhabitants, and the influences of early Macassan (Indonesian) contact will be investigated archaeologically.Read moreRead less
The Power and Reach of Chiefly Societies in Fiji-West Polynesia. Australia as a Pacific Ocean nation must understand and engage with its Central Pacific island neighbours. The 2nd millennium AD saw the growth of the powerful Tongan maritime chiefdom, arguably the most complex Pacific society of its time. The titles and individuals associated with the ancient Tongan chiefdom are politically prominent even today. Archaeological investigations will benefit modern regional relationships by establish ....The Power and Reach of Chiefly Societies in Fiji-West Polynesia. Australia as a Pacific Ocean nation must understand and engage with its Central Pacific island neighbours. The 2nd millennium AD saw the growth of the powerful Tongan maritime chiefdom, arguably the most complex Pacific society of its time. The titles and individuals associated with the ancient Tongan chiefdom are politically prominent even today. Archaeological investigations will benefit modern regional relationships by establishing the antiquity and significance of prehistoric interaction. The benefit lies in building collaboration between Australian and Pacific Islander heritage organisations, contributing to Pacific scholarship and maintaining Australian expertise in the politically fractious Fiji-West Polynesia region.Read moreRead less
Tracking the development of agricultural lifestyles in island Southeast Asia through modern and prehistoric rodent communities. The emergence of agriculture, a key transformational event in human history, seems to have occurred significantly later in island SE Asia than surrounding regions. However, the early stages of agriculture may be archaeologically ‘invisible’ in the tropics due to simple material culture and housing. This project proposes to use the recent evolutionary history of agricult ....Tracking the development of agricultural lifestyles in island Southeast Asia through modern and prehistoric rodent communities. The emergence of agriculture, a key transformational event in human history, seems to have occurred significantly later in island SE Asia than surrounding regions. However, the early stages of agriculture may be archaeologically ‘invisible’ in the tropics due to simple material culture and housing. This project proposes to use the recent evolutionary history of agricultural rodent pests, all of which emerged in situ from among a native rodent fauna, as a proxy for the origins and spread of agriculture, and its subsequent intensification. This project will use phylogeography and population genetics to infer the history of contemporary rodent populations, combined with archaeozoological and ancient DNA analyses of prehistoric samples to test our inferences.Read moreRead less
Rivers of Gold: The Legacy of Historical Gold Mining for Victoria's Rivers. By considering rivers as cultural artefacts, this project aims to evaluate how historical gold mining has shaped river systems in Victoria. Victoria’s historic mining industry led to extensive and long-lasting change to waterways across the state. The project plans to integrate approaches from landscape archaeology, physical geography, geomorphology and environmental chemistry to identify and map the extent of changes, i ....Rivers of Gold: The Legacy of Historical Gold Mining for Victoria's Rivers. By considering rivers as cultural artefacts, this project aims to evaluate how historical gold mining has shaped river systems in Victoria. Victoria’s historic mining industry led to extensive and long-lasting change to waterways across the state. The project plans to integrate approaches from landscape archaeology, physical geography, geomorphology and environmental chemistry to identify and map the extent of changes, including increased sedimentation, erosion, and chemical contamination. The project plans to demonstrate how historical mining continues to influence chemical and physical processes in Victorian streams and to develop understanding of the landscapes experienced by Victorians at the height of the mining boom. Project outcomes may provide improved context for catchment and reservoir management and counter prevailing impressions about causes of observed damage to rivers.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE190100187
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$391,950.00
Summary
Ethnoarchaeological investigation of religious systems in Ancient Polynesia. This project aims to document and compare the long-term historical trajectories of Eastern Polynesian chiefdoms by developing a new perspective on ancient ritual practices and monuments. Using archaeological, historical and ethnographic material, the project expects to increase our knowledge of Polynesia’s archaeological history. Anticipated outcomes of this project include a better understanding of traditional religiou ....Ethnoarchaeological investigation of religious systems in Ancient Polynesia. This project aims to document and compare the long-term historical trajectories of Eastern Polynesian chiefdoms by developing a new perspective on ancient ritual practices and monuments. Using archaeological, historical and ethnographic material, the project expects to increase our knowledge of Polynesia’s archaeological history. Anticipated outcomes of this project include a better understanding of traditional religious systems in Polynesia, and the development of a theoretical and methodological framework for the study of ancient rituals. It should further create a new model of collaborative research with Pacific Islanders for whom their legacy of ritual monuments bear a critical cultural significance; it thus informs a better understanding of Australia’s role in Pacific studies.Read moreRead less