Dead Heart Beating? Landscape, Climate and People in Desert Australia. This project aims to undertake the first detailed investigation of the archaeology, landscape history and paleoenvironment of dryland lakes in the Simpson, Strzelecki and Stuart Stony Deserts in Central Australia. Using cutting edge methods, the project expects to discover new archaeological sites, provide a new climate record for inland Australia and develop innovative new analytical and field techniques. Expected benefits a ....Dead Heart Beating? Landscape, Climate and People in Desert Australia. This project aims to undertake the first detailed investigation of the archaeology, landscape history and paleoenvironment of dryland lakes in the Simpson, Strzelecki and Stuart Stony Deserts in Central Australia. Using cutting edge methods, the project expects to discover new archaeological sites, provide a new climate record for inland Australia and develop innovative new analytical and field techniques. Expected benefits also include the development of new cutting-edge methodologies for the investigation of Australian desert landscapes, comprehensive baseline data of how this region has evolved prior to European colonization and resolving why no Pleistocene aged archaeological sites have been found in the region.Read moreRead less
Understanding the early phases of Neolithic dispersal in the western Pacific. The project investigates the transition of mainland Asian cultures to a world of islands from 6000-3500 years ago by an archaeological and palaeoenvironmental study of near-Asian islands including the Philippines and Taiwan. This transition is the formative process that saw island colonisation extend out into the Pacific and Indian Oceans in subsequent millennia, and the project aims to build on earlier archaeological ....Understanding the early phases of Neolithic dispersal in the western Pacific. The project investigates the transition of mainland Asian cultures to a world of islands from 6000-3500 years ago by an archaeological and palaeoenvironmental study of near-Asian islands including the Philippines and Taiwan. This transition is the formative process that saw island colonisation extend out into the Pacific and Indian Oceans in subsequent millennia, and the project aims to build on earlier archaeological work by taking a colonisation approach that assesses resource richness and other environmental forces on the populations. Outcomes include a new and more detailed account of neolithic expansion including accounts of settlement pattern, subsistence development and environmental relationships.Read moreRead less
Identifying the transition from hunting to animal management in mainland and Island Southeast Asia: origins, impacts and proxies for human migration. This project proposes to determine how and when a range of domestic and translocated wild animals were introduced to different geographic locations of mainland and Island Southeast Asia between 3,000 and 4,000 years ago. It will identify their origins, timings of introduction and what impacts they had on native island faunas.
The Australian historic shipwreck protection project: the in situ preservation and reburial of a colonial trader - Clarence (1850). The project will use cutting-edge technology to study and preserve an early colonial shipwreck at risk and develop a world-class strategy for the reburial and preservation of endangered historic shipwrecks. The project will help develop new national policy and technical guidelines for site managers of historic shipwrecks and offer new insights into colonial shipbuil ....The Australian historic shipwreck protection project: the in situ preservation and reburial of a colonial trader - Clarence (1850). The project will use cutting-edge technology to study and preserve an early colonial shipwreck at risk and develop a world-class strategy for the reburial and preservation of endangered historic shipwrecks. The project will help develop new national policy and technical guidelines for site managers of historic shipwrecks and offer new insights into colonial shipbuilding.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
Wadi Rayyan and Olive Production in the Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Ages (4500-3000 BCE). This project seeks funds to excavate two sites in the Wadi Rayyan in the highlands of Jordan. This previously unexplored area of Jordan is at high altitude and an excellent region for olive growing. Both sites show evidence of agricultural processing (features cut into the bedrock) and both show evidence of Chalcolithic/EBA occupation (4500-3000 BCE). Excavation will reveal the relationship between the ch ....Wadi Rayyan and Olive Production in the Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Ages (4500-3000 BCE). This project seeks funds to excavate two sites in the Wadi Rayyan in the highlands of Jordan. This previously unexplored area of Jordan is at high altitude and an excellent region for olive growing. Both sites show evidence of agricultural processing (features cut into the bedrock) and both show evidence of Chalcolithic/EBA occupation (4500-3000 BCE). Excavation will reveal the relationship between the changing economy in the Late Chalcolithic (4000-3500 BCE) and the changing pattern of settlement in the region through excavations at these key sites. Specifically this project will investigate the links between early olive processing and early complex society.Read moreRead less
Persistence and transformation in Ancestral Oceanic Society: the archaeology of the first 1500 years in the Vanuatu archipelago. Supporting research programs with smaller Pacific Island neighbours fosters Australia's relationship with those countries generally. The project will contribute to regional capacity building in the areas of archaeology, heritage studies and management. This research will enhance understanding of the region's deep human past and the way it articulates historically with ....Persistence and transformation in Ancestral Oceanic Society: the archaeology of the first 1500 years in the Vanuatu archipelago. Supporting research programs with smaller Pacific Island neighbours fosters Australia's relationship with those countries generally. The project will contribute to regional capacity building in the areas of archaeology, heritage studies and management. This research will enhance understanding of the region's deep human past and the way it articulates historically with the rest of the world. It will advance Australia's understanding of its nearest neighbours as well as provide those neighbours with information that goes towards strengthening national identity. The proposed research has direct relevance to ongoing debates within Australian and World archaeology and related disciplines, and fosters international collaborative links. Read moreRead less
Northern Vanuatu as a Pacific Crossroads: The archaeology of discovery, interaction and the emergence of the ethnographic present. The project addresses the National Research Priority Goal of "Understanding our Region and the World". Supporting research programs with smaller Pacific Island neighbours such as Vanuatu fosters Australia's relationship with those countries generally. This research will strengthen our knowledge of the region's deep human past. It will advance Australia's understandin ....Northern Vanuatu as a Pacific Crossroads: The archaeology of discovery, interaction and the emergence of the ethnographic present. The project addresses the National Research Priority Goal of "Understanding our Region and the World". Supporting research programs with smaller Pacific Island neighbours such as Vanuatu fosters Australia's relationship with those countries generally. This research will strengthen our knowledge of the region's deep human past. It will advance Australia's understanding of its nearest neighbours as well as provide those neighbours with information they can use to shape their own views of their past and its relationship to their present. The proposed research has direct relevance to on-going debates within world archaeology and related disciplines.Read moreRead less
Plant use at the dawn of agriculture in central Anatolia. The project will increase collaboration with researchers in the UK, and Turkish archaeological authorities. It will refine our understanding of the process, rate and direction of agricultural origins in Western Asia and improve Australia's profile in origins of agriculture research. It will increase Australia's knowledge base about other regions and help to consolidate and promote archaeobotany/archaeological science in Australia's resear ....Plant use at the dawn of agriculture in central Anatolia. The project will increase collaboration with researchers in the UK, and Turkish archaeological authorities. It will refine our understanding of the process, rate and direction of agricultural origins in Western Asia and improve Australia's profile in origins of agriculture research. It will increase Australia's knowledge base about other regions and help to consolidate and promote archaeobotany/archaeological science in Australia's research community.Read moreRead less
Diversity, interaction and change in prehistory: the third millennium BCE in Cyprus. This project will enhance the high reputation Australians have developed over many years in Mediterranean archaeology, maintaining and broadening Australia's cultural and economic relationships with Cyprus. It will be relevant to both scholars and the general public in Cyprus and the large Cypriot community in Australia. It will involve the training of students from both Australian and Cypriot universities in al ....Diversity, interaction and change in prehistory: the third millennium BCE in Cyprus. This project will enhance the high reputation Australians have developed over many years in Mediterranean archaeology, maintaining and broadening Australia's cultural and economic relationships with Cyprus. It will be relevant to both scholars and the general public in Cyprus and the large Cypriot community in Australia. It will involve the training of students from both Australian and Cypriot universities in all aspects of archaeological fieldwork, laboratory analysis and research.Read moreRead less