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
The other democracy: Medes in the Iron Age. This project aims to use evidence from archaeology and historical texts to develop a new
understanding of the consensus-based political system of the Medes of the Zagros Mountains in the first
millennium BCE. In spite of the enduring presence of the Medes in the historical texts of Ancient Greece and the
Near East, this research project would be the first major piece of scholarship to address the nature of Median
communities. This research seeks to cre ....The other democracy: Medes in the Iron Age. This project aims to use evidence from archaeology and historical texts to develop a new
understanding of the consensus-based political system of the Medes of the Zagros Mountains in the first
millennium BCE. In spite of the enduring presence of the Medes in the historical texts of Ancient Greece and the
Near East, this research project would be the first major piece of scholarship to address the nature of Median
communities. This research seeks to create a new model for how these agro-pastoral groups may have
responded to imperial incursions by the Assyrian Empire. Its goal is to benefit scholarship by developing a better
understanding of how democratic systems can develop as a flexible response to external pressures.Read moreRead less