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Food, drink and sociality in the early Roman Empire and their significance for understanding ancient family and community life. To understand and be secure in the present we must understand the past. The Roman world was multi-cultural and multi-ethnic - a foundation for modern European and Mediterranean cultures. It, therefore, has deep significance for contemporary Australia and its migrant populations. Knowledge of Roman social practices can provide unique insights into issues and dilemmas fac ....Food, drink and sociality in the early Roman Empire and their significance for understanding ancient family and community life. To understand and be secure in the present we must understand the past. The Roman world was multi-cultural and multi-ethnic - a foundation for modern European and Mediterranean cultures. It, therefore, has deep significance for contemporary Australia and its migrant populations. Knowledge of Roman social practices can provide unique insights into issues and dilemmas facing Australian society. Eating behaviours and food practices are of great public interest and understanding the foodways of people in the past is vital to these debates. This project also places Australia at the forefront of archaeological research and guarantees its international prominence in Roman social history.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
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
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
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
Before Cook: Contact, Negotiation and the Archaeology of the Tiwi Islands. The narrative of culture contact in Australia is dominated by British colonisation, yet Indigenous Australians in Northern Australia had a much earlier connection with global explorers and traders. We aim to conduct the first systematic maritime and terrestrial archaeological investigations of the Tiwi Islands, alongside the study of material culture, oral history and archival materials associated with early Dutch explore ....Before Cook: Contact, Negotiation and the Archaeology of the Tiwi Islands. The narrative of culture contact in Australia is dominated by British colonisation, yet Indigenous Australians in Northern Australia had a much earlier connection with global explorers and traders. We aim to conduct the first systematic maritime and terrestrial archaeological investigations of the Tiwi Islands, alongside the study of material culture, oral history and archival materials associated with early Dutch explorers, British colonists, and Macassans. This multi-disciplinary approach will broaden our understanding of long-term race relations in Australia, the past presence of foreign visitors to Northern Australia, develop cultural heritage public policy and consolidate Tiwi cultural identity and history into the historical record.Read moreRead less
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
Enhancing cultural heritage management for mining operations: a multi-disciplinary approach. This project will apply a multi-disciplinary, research-based focus to cultural heritage management on mining leases in the Cape York region. It will improve relations between the mine operators and Indigenous Traditional Owners and allow them to strengthen connections with the past, while at the same time providing an enduring legacy for future generations.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE130100153
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$347,556.00
Summary
Radiogenic bronze and the Indianisation of Southeast Asia. Intense South/Southeast Asian maritime activity began circa 2500 years ago, but the societies involved and their motivation is unknown. Study of exchange networks in chemically distinctive bronzes related to early Buddhism and their likely production centre in eastern India will establish a sound economic basis underlying long-term cultural influence.