A mechanism to authenticate porcelain treasures from the Yuan-Ming dynasties (1260-1644 AD) in China. Jingdezhen wares were the most widely exported of all Chinese porcelains with worldwide distribution and representation in ancient sites and museum collections, including many in Australia. They are often auctioned at high prices (e.g. £15.68 million for one Yuan dynasty blue-and-white jar in 2005), but their authenticity is often controversial, leading to lawsuits and attracting public interest ....A mechanism to authenticate porcelain treasures from the Yuan-Ming dynasties (1260-1644 AD) in China. Jingdezhen wares were the most widely exported of all Chinese porcelains with worldwide distribution and representation in ancient sites and museum collections, including many in Australia. They are often auctioned at high prices (e.g. £15.68 million for one Yuan dynasty blue-and-white jar in 2005), but their authenticity is often controversial, leading to lawsuits and attracting public interest. The chemical database from this research will enable unequivocal authentication of Jingdezhen porcelain prevailing world antique markets, allowing treasures to be sorted out of trashes. The project strengthens links with China, UK, USA and Japan. It greatly enhances knowledge base about China, which is having increasing interaction with Australia.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
Australian Laureate Fellowships - Grant ID: FL160100123
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,553,690.00
Summary
Australian rock art history, conservation and Indigenous well-being. Australian rock art history, conservation and Indigenous well-being. This project would examine the significance of Australia’s rock art heritage and why rock art is important for Indigenous identity and well-being but undervalued by others. It would produce new national strategies and knowledge about Australian rock art to enhance Indigenous empowerment and well-being; address threats to rock art and its conservation to protec ....Australian rock art history, conservation and Indigenous well-being. Australian rock art history, conservation and Indigenous well-being. This project would examine the significance of Australia’s rock art heritage and why rock art is important for Indigenous identity and well-being but undervalued by others. It would produce new national strategies and knowledge about Australian rock art to enhance Indigenous empowerment and well-being; address threats to rock art and its conservation to protect it for future generations; and develop innovative ways to manage and promote rock art in collaboration with Indigenous peoples, especially in northern Australia, where unprecedented development threatens rock art landscapes. The anticipated outcome is that Australia would become the world authority and leader for rock art conservation.Read moreRead less
The archaeology of northern New Guinea, a cultural corridor between Asia, Island Melanesia and the Pacific. The project seeks to define the chronology, and clarify the dynamics of prehistoric human colonisation, settlement, subsistence and exchange in northern New Guinea. Integrated archaeological and palaeoenvironmental sequences will show settlement, environmental change and development of agriculture across 40,000 years. The significance is in understanding a key area in the settlement of gre ....The archaeology of northern New Guinea, a cultural corridor between Asia, Island Melanesia and the Pacific. The project seeks to define the chronology, and clarify the dynamics of prehistoric human colonisation, settlement, subsistence and exchange in northern New Guinea. Integrated archaeological and palaeoenvironmental sequences will show settlement, environmental change and development of agriculture across 40,000 years. The significance is in understanding a key area in the settlement of greater Australia and the Pacific.Read moreRead less
Bayini, Macassans, Balanda and Bininij: A Case Study of Indigenous Cultural Heritage Management and Tourism in West Arnhemland Northern Territory. Contact between cultures is a defining theme in history and is especially relevant to contemporary Australia. The timing of contact between South East Asians and Europeans with Aboriginal communities in Arnhem Land is of great historical significance to Australia. This knowledge will enhance the national heritage registration efforts for cultural heri ....Bayini, Macassans, Balanda and Bininij: A Case Study of Indigenous Cultural Heritage Management and Tourism in West Arnhemland Northern Territory. Contact between cultures is a defining theme in history and is especially relevant to contemporary Australia. The timing of contact between South East Asians and Europeans with Aboriginal communities in Arnhem Land is of great historical significance to Australia. This knowledge will enhance the national heritage registration efforts for cultural heritage places in the region. Conservation efforts will be undertaken for the first time for these potentially world heritage significant Indigenous cultural heritage places. Indigenous communities will potentially make significant economic gains from developing sustainable land management and cultural tourism initiatives through the results and skills obtained from his project.Read moreRead less
Rethinking Cultural Heritage in Southeast Asia: A Case Study From the New Nation of Timor Leste. The project will contribute to the economic and socially sustainable conservation of cultural heritage in Timor Leste. Collaborative work between project personnel and Timor Leste communities and government agencies will promote good will, strengthen ties and enhance cross-cultural understanding between both countries, as will the training of Timor Leste nationals in techniques of heritage assessment ....Rethinking Cultural Heritage in Southeast Asia: A Case Study From the New Nation of Timor Leste. The project will contribute to the economic and socially sustainable conservation of cultural heritage in Timor Leste. Collaborative work between project personnel and Timor Leste communities and government agencies will promote good will, strengthen ties and enhance cross-cultural understanding between both countries, as will the training of Timor Leste nationals in techniques of heritage assessment and management. Communication of the results of the project will also enhance Australia's understanding of social and cultural issues within Timor Leste and raise Australia's profile overseas. Read moreRead less
Deep Time Images in the Age of Globalisation. Using rock art as a focus, this innovative comparative project will examine the processes that create contemporary heritage. The project aims to answer questions such as: What motivates tourists to visit rock art sites in different parts of the world? And what preconceptions do tourists and Traditional Owners have about each other? This project will transform our understanding of rock art heritage sites and provide invaluable foundations for future a ....Deep Time Images in the Age of Globalisation. Using rock art as a focus, this innovative comparative project will examine the processes that create contemporary heritage. The project aims to answer questions such as: What motivates tourists to visit rock art sites in different parts of the world? And what preconceptions do tourists and Traditional Owners have about each other? This project will transform our understanding of rock art heritage sites and provide invaluable foundations for future approaches towards heritage management, preservation, and communication. For the first time, the creation of rock art heritage will be analysed simultaneously in the Northern and Southern Hemisphere as the product of global intertwined intellectual processes and ongoing legacies.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE200100544
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$418,810.00
Summary
Reconnecting the Histories of Papuan, Australian and Oceanic Seascapes . This project aims to investigate connections between Papuan, Australian and Oceanic seascapes created by a westward expansion by Lapita seafarers 3000 years ago. The project raises and addresses new questions about the maintenance of regional social relationships with an innovative archaeological approach that focuses on the edges of cultural domains where people met and shared ideas. Expected outcomes include enhanced rese ....Reconnecting the Histories of Papuan, Australian and Oceanic Seascapes . This project aims to investigate connections between Papuan, Australian and Oceanic seascapes created by a westward expansion by Lapita seafarers 3000 years ago. The project raises and addresses new questions about the maintenance of regional social relationships with an innovative archaeological approach that focuses on the edges of cultural domains where people met and shared ideas. Expected outcomes include enhanced research collaborations and improved regulatory capacity. Reconnecting seascapes is expected to inform and benefit academic and government responses to heritage conservation and align with Australian Government aspirations to conserve regional cultural heritage and enable economic development through strategic collaboration.Read moreRead less
Archaeology, collections and Australian South Sea Islander. This project aims to integrate archaeology, museology, and cultural landscape research to weave together histories of Australian South Sea Islanders’ (ASSIs) lives and communities. ASSIs are not indigenous to Australia, nonetheless they have a distinctive and vibrant indigenous culture. With little written about ASSIs, most of their stories are in the places that they have inhabited, and in the objects they have left behind. In partners ....Archaeology, collections and Australian South Sea Islander. This project aims to integrate archaeology, museology, and cultural landscape research to weave together histories of Australian South Sea Islanders’ (ASSIs) lives and communities. ASSIs are not indigenous to Australia, nonetheless they have a distinctive and vibrant indigenous culture. With little written about ASSIs, most of their stories are in the places that they have inhabited, and in the objects they have left behind. In partnership with living ASSI communities, this project will raise awareness about their past in Queensland society and contribute to their sense of identity in the present and future.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