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
Investigating the world's first maritime network in Pleistocene Wallacea. This project will investigate the world’s first maritime exchange network located in the islands to Australia’s north. From ~16,000 years ago, tools made from exotic obsidian (volcanic glass) appear in the archaeological assemblages of three southern Wallacean islands, as do standardised items of personal decoration and fishhooks. Where the obsidian was acquired and how far the network extended are currently unknown. This ....Investigating the world's first maritime network in Pleistocene Wallacea. This project will investigate the world’s first maritime exchange network located in the islands to Australia’s north. From ~16,000 years ago, tools made from exotic obsidian (volcanic glass) appear in the archaeological assemblages of three southern Wallacean islands, as do standardised items of personal decoration and fishhooks. Where the obsidian was acquired and how far the network extended are currently unknown. This project hopes to resolve this and determine how the network relates to other aspects of culture and changing sea levels. Through geological sourcing, geo-chemical analysis and multi-island excavations we will reveal the intensity and reach of this remarkable network to understand the origins of trade in our region. Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE240100530
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$456,802.00
Summary
Neanderthal hunting ability and the extinction of archaic humans. This project aims to investigate a critical factor in explaining Neanderthals extinction: their hunting abilities. The research expects to generate new knowledge of archaic humans behaviour using an innovative approach combining traditional archaeological analytical methods with ground-breaking biomolecular techniques. Expected outcomes of this project include the development of new knowledge in human evolutionary history and impr ....Neanderthal hunting ability and the extinction of archaic humans. This project aims to investigate a critical factor in explaining Neanderthals extinction: their hunting abilities. The research expects to generate new knowledge of archaic humans behaviour using an innovative approach combining traditional archaeological analytical methods with ground-breaking biomolecular techniques. Expected outcomes of this project include the development of new knowledge in human evolutionary history and improved techniques to understand past human extinction events. This should provide significant benefits for Australia to become a primary power in studying human past and deep history, while enhancing capacity by becoming the first country in the Southern Hemisphere to implement ancient protein studies in archaeology.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
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
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 Missing Millennium and the Origins of Agriculture in Southeast Asia. This project aims to investigate the missing millennium – a significant gap in our understanding of the arrival of food producing populations into northern Vietnam between 5000 and 4000 years ago, before their expansion across the rest of Mainland Southeast Asia. Substantial new insights will include information on cultural development and population ancestry, an enhanced archaeological chronology, and details of the subsis ....The Missing Millennium and the Origins of Agriculture in Southeast Asia. This project aims to investigate the missing millennium – a significant gap in our understanding of the arrival of food producing populations into northern Vietnam between 5000 and 4000 years ago, before their expansion across the rest of Mainland Southeast Asia. Substantial new insights will include information on cultural development and population ancestry, an enhanced archaeological chronology, and details of the subsistence economies of both farmers and hunter-gatherers in the region. Significant benefits are expected in understanding the population history behind modern Southeast Asia, especially Vietnam.Read moreRead less
Resolving the archaeological enigma of Indonesia’s ‘Toalean’ culture . Archaeologists have long puzzled over the identity and origin of the 'Toalean' people from Sulawesi, Indonesia. These prehistoric hunter-gatherers produced a unique culture that emerged in the south of this island about 7500 years ago, and some scholars believe they introduced the dingo to Australia. Little is known about these early foragers despite a century of research. This project aims to investigate a significant new ca ....Resolving the archaeological enigma of Indonesia’s ‘Toalean’ culture . Archaeologists have long puzzled over the identity and origin of the 'Toalean' people from Sulawesi, Indonesia. These prehistoric hunter-gatherers produced a unique culture that emerged in the south of this island about 7500 years ago, and some scholars believe they introduced the dingo to Australia. Little is known about these early foragers despite a century of research. This project aims to investigate a significant new cave site in Sulawesi that is the richest, most well-dated Toalean locality yet uncovered. Through detailed archaeological excavations and analyses, this project expects to advance scientific knowledge of an important but poorly understood Indonesian culture that is often connected with the early human story in Australia.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
ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage. The ARC Centre of Excellence of Australian Biodiversity and Heritage will create a world-class interdisciplinary research programme to understand Australia’s unique biodiversity and heritage. The Centre will track the changes to Australia’s environment to examine the processes responsible for the changes and the lessons that can be used to continue to adapt to Australia’s changing environment. The Centre will support connection ....ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage. The ARC Centre of Excellence of Australian Biodiversity and Heritage will create a world-class interdisciplinary research programme to understand Australia’s unique biodiversity and heritage. The Centre will track the changes to Australia’s environment to examine the processes responsible for the changes and the lessons that can be used to continue to adapt to Australia’s changing environment. The Centre will support connections between the sciences and humanities and train future generations of researchers to deal with future global challenges and inform policy in an interdisciplinary context. Read moreRead less