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
From village to empire in the Zagros highlands: Archaeological investigations at Tol-e Nurabad (Fars Province, Iran). This joint Australian-Iranian archaeological project will strengthen an important collaborative partnership between Australia and Iran in an area of mutual interest - the investigation of past societies. The human significance of such collaboration extends far beyond Australia's commercial relationship with Iran. It will build bridges and promote understanding between the two soc ....From village to empire in the Zagros highlands: Archaeological investigations at Tol-e Nurabad (Fars Province, Iran). This joint Australian-Iranian archaeological project will strengthen an important collaborative partnership between Australia and Iran in an area of mutual interest - the investigation of past societies. The human significance of such collaboration extends far beyond Australia's commercial relationship with Iran. It will build bridges and promote understanding between the two societies at both a scientific and grassroots level. It is a tangible expression of goodwill and a genuine interest in Iran's past, as well as an investment in a cultural and human relationship with one of the most important countries in the Middle East.Read moreRead less
A reappraisal of Western European Mousterian tools from Australian perspectives. Intense debates in human evolution surround Neanderthals in France, where archaeological deposits provide abundant evidence of their lives. Were Neanderthals complex cultural beings comparable to our ancestors or did they possess less complex cultures? This question has often been addressed through analysis of Neanderthal, or ?Mousterian?, stone tools. Previous studies follow a tradition of dividing tools into types ....A reappraisal of Western European Mousterian tools from Australian perspectives. Intense debates in human evolution surround Neanderthals in France, where archaeological deposits provide abundant evidence of their lives. Were Neanderthals complex cultural beings comparable to our ancestors or did they possess less complex cultures? This question has often been addressed through analysis of Neanderthal, or ?Mousterian?, stone tools. Previous studies follow a tradition of dividing tools into types such as ?scrapers? or ?points?. This study employs non-type-based Australian perspectives, incorporating new analytical techniques, to re-describe Mousterian tools, review what they tell us of Neanderthal capabilities, and evaluate conventional type-based systems of analysis. Significant new information about hominid evolution will result.Read moreRead less
A study of ancient jade trading networks in prehistoric southern China and Southeast Asia, 3000 BC to AD 500. This project will make a significant intellectual contribution to enhancing Australia's awareness of the histories of neighbouring populations in Southeast Asia that in total exceed 750 million people. It will thus contribute to a better understanding of our region and the world. The project will also benefit the indigenous populations and future researchers of neighbouring Asian countri ....A study of ancient jade trading networks in prehistoric southern China and Southeast Asia, 3000 BC to AD 500. This project will make a significant intellectual contribution to enhancing Australia's awareness of the histories of neighbouring populations in Southeast Asia that in total exceed 750 million people. It will thus contribute to a better understanding of our region and the world. The project will also benefit the indigenous populations and future researchers of neighbouring Asian countries, through research collaboration and the dissemination of original research results, enhancing Australia's status as a supportive neighbour in the region.Read moreRead less
Transformations and Persistence in the Holocene in East Timor: Unpacking the Island Southeast Asian Neolithic and Metal Age Cultural Packages. This project will be of great benefit in understanding culture interaction and change in our region. The close relationship between Timor and Greater Australia throughout the Holocene, and its place in Southeast Asia link it both east and west through time. In addition to understanding the nature of interaction between communities, we seek to understand ....Transformations and Persistence in the Holocene in East Timor: Unpacking the Island Southeast Asian Neolithic and Metal Age Cultural Packages. This project will be of great benefit in understanding culture interaction and change in our region. The close relationship between Timor and Greater Australia throughout the Holocene, and its place in Southeast Asia link it both east and west through time. In addition to understanding the nature of interaction between communities, we seek to understand how the Timorese responded, through time, to environmental variability and how this affected local culture. Furthermore, our particular focus on production technologies, as well as testing theories of migration and replacement for the Neolithic, allow us to see the nature of innovation within Timorese society.Read moreRead less
Astride the Wallace Line 2: human evolution, dispersal, culture and environmental change in Southeast Asia. Our previous project on the archaeology and fossil record of Southeast Asia yielded results of international significance, including the discovery of a new human species and dates for major changes in the Indonesian faunal sequence. It also involved collaboration between Australian, Indonesian and Canadian researchers from a range of institutions and disciplines, and provided topics for s ....Astride the Wallace Line 2: human evolution, dispersal, culture and environmental change in Southeast Asia. Our previous project on the archaeology and fossil record of Southeast Asia yielded results of international significance, including the discovery of a new human species and dates for major changes in the Indonesian faunal sequence. It also involved collaboration between Australian, Indonesian and Canadian researchers from a range of institutions and disciplines, and provided topics for six PhD and two MA students. This level of significant research, international collaboration and training will continue with the current project.Read moreRead less