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Chronology of Lower Palaeolithic settlements across the Mediterranean. The project seeks to contribute to our understanding of early human evolution in the Mediterranean and provide tested dating methods for Early Pleistocene sites. It aims to answer a major question in Quaternary geochronology and Mediterranean archaeology – when hominins reached the edges of the Mediterranean – by building more robust chronologies for Early Pleistocene sites located in non-volcanic context. After testing a ser ....Chronology of Lower Palaeolithic settlements across the Mediterranean. The project seeks to contribute to our understanding of early human evolution in the Mediterranean and provide tested dating methods for Early Pleistocene sites. It aims to answer a major question in Quaternary geochronology and Mediterranean archaeology – when hominins reached the edges of the Mediterranean – by building more robust chronologies for Early Pleistocene sites located in non-volcanic context. After testing a series of dating protocols at known-age localities, the project plans to apply a new multi-technique dating approach combining different numerical methods and Bayesian modelling on a range of Lower Palaeolithic sites in three key areas: Southern Spain, Northern Africa and the Near East.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE150100492
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$372,336.00
Summary
Early human cultural diversity and adaptive responses to resource stress. This project will test novel hypotheses about human behavioural strategies and responses to resource stress in central Africa at the time of early human dispersals out of Africa. It aims to examine how behavioural complexity observed in the stone artefact records of southern and eastern Africa relate to those in northern Malawi, which lies at a key crossroads for these dispersals. The study area contains rare archaeologica ....Early human cultural diversity and adaptive responses to resource stress. This project will test novel hypotheses about human behavioural strategies and responses to resource stress in central Africa at the time of early human dispersals out of Africa. It aims to examine how behavioural complexity observed in the stone artefact records of southern and eastern Africa relate to those in northern Malawi, which lies at a key crossroads for these dispersals. The study area contains rare archaeological deposits that offer a unique opportunity to address problems of early human resource use at all scales: site, landscape, and region. This project aims to contribute to human origins research through investigation of why and how local geophysical and climatic constraints shaped past human behaviour relative to other regions.Read moreRead less
The emergence of early modern human behaviour and technology in Central Africa. This multidisciplinary project will build a detailed archaeological sequence in northern Malawi that is uniquely suited for testing hypotheses about the linkages between environment, demography, technology, and human behaviour in central Africa. This will provide a rare understanding of the processes that drove the emergence of our species.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE160100030
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$379,536.00
Summary
Becoming human: archaeological excavations at Lukenya Hill, Kenya. This project aims to refine our understanding of when and why early Homo sapiens began to display the behaviours that define us as human. Two questions central to modern human origins research will be addressed through archaeological excavations at Lukenya Hill in Kenya: firstly was the emergence of behavioural modernity the outcome of an abrupt behavioural revolution or instead a long-term process? secondly, what was the role of ....Becoming human: archaeological excavations at Lukenya Hill, Kenya. This project aims to refine our understanding of when and why early Homo sapiens began to display the behaviours that define us as human. Two questions central to modern human origins research will be addressed through archaeological excavations at Lukenya Hill in Kenya: firstly was the emergence of behavioural modernity the outcome of an abrupt behavioural revolution or instead a long-term process? secondly, what was the role of environmental change in driving our behavioural evolution? This project aims to provide a 50 000-year case study documenting the response of humans and past ecosystems to environmental change, which may provide a long-term perspective important to predicting and ameliorating the effects of such change in the future.Read moreRead less
Indian Ocean globalisation and the westward Austronesian expansion. This project aims to apply a multi-analytical archaeological science approach to investigate how cross-cultural interaction transformed peoples, societies and environments in the Indian Ocean. It plans to trace the movement of people, plants, animals, goods and practices to Madagascar and the Comoros over 1000 years ago in order to critically assess evidence for early long-distance contacts between Southeast Asia and Africa. The ....Indian Ocean globalisation and the westward Austronesian expansion. This project aims to apply a multi-analytical archaeological science approach to investigate how cross-cultural interaction transformed peoples, societies and environments in the Indian Ocean. It plans to trace the movement of people, plants, animals, goods and practices to Madagascar and the Comoros over 1000 years ago in order to critically assess evidence for early long-distance contacts between Southeast Asia and Africa. The project seeks to enhance Australia’s capacity for archaeological science and deliver significant social and cultural benefits by shedding light on the history of the diverse but interconnected Indo-Pacific world in which Australia now occupies a central geopolitical position.Read moreRead less
Investigating Holocene India - Australia Connections using Ancient Genomics. A number of studies of human migration suggest that after initial colonisation of Australia around 45,000 years ago, these people remained largely isolated until the arrival of Europeans. In contrast recent studies have suggested that a wave of migration from India into Australia occurred approximately 4,230 years ago. However, a major drawback of these recent studies is that sequence data used was from modern indigenou ....Investigating Holocene India - Australia Connections using Ancient Genomics. A number of studies of human migration suggest that after initial colonisation of Australia around 45,000 years ago, these people remained largely isolated until the arrival of Europeans. In contrast recent studies have suggested that a wave of migration from India into Australia occurred approximately 4,230 years ago. However, a major drawback of these recent studies is that sequence data used was from modern indigenous Australians who were potentially admixed with Europeans. To address this issue we will sequence complete genomes from sub-fossil bones of ancient Indian and Indigenous Australian people and directly investigate this possible India-Australia connection.Read moreRead less
Resolving fundamental problems in the dating of marine shell in the tropics. This project will model variability in the way carbon is distributed in marine environments and animals in tropical Australasia. Results will provide key enabling tools for accurate dating of marine materials, realising the potential of previous research and forming the basis for accurate reconstructions of cultural, sea-level and climate changed.
Modern human origins and early behavioural complexity in Australia and Southeast Asia. This project tackles a fundamental issue in world prehistory: how and when did humans first cross from Southeast Asia into Australia. Three new archaeological excavations using novel methods of analysis will assess the nature of behavioural complexity and human evolution at the time when Australia was first colonised over 45,000 years ago.
Indigenous foodways in colonial Cape York Peninsula. This project aims to trace historical Indigenous foodways in colonial Cape York Peninsula, Queensland, through a program of collaborative community-based archaeological and anthropological research. Food was a key medium for cultural exchanges between Indigenous peoples and settler-colonists. The analysis of foodways is known to provide unparalleled insights on daily life, as well as the development of both cultural values and social relations ....Indigenous foodways in colonial Cape York Peninsula. This project aims to trace historical Indigenous foodways in colonial Cape York Peninsula, Queensland, through a program of collaborative community-based archaeological and anthropological research. Food was a key medium for cultural exchanges between Indigenous peoples and settler-colonists. The analysis of foodways is known to provide unparalleled insights on daily life, as well as the development of both cultural values and social relationships. This has received limited attention in archaeological investigations in Australia. Results will provide greater insight into the history behind our current society.Read moreRead less
History Places: Wellington Range rock art in a global context. The project aims to investigate one of Australia’s most extraordinary bodies of rock art, spread across Arnhem Land’s Wellington Range, in order to answer important archaeological research questions, provide Traditional Owners with a comprehensive digital record of their rock art heritage and develop a long term management plan. Field research will include survey, 2-D and 3-D rock art recording, limited excavation and sampling for da ....History Places: Wellington Range rock art in a global context. The project aims to investigate one of Australia’s most extraordinary bodies of rock art, spread across Arnhem Land’s Wellington Range, in order to answer important archaeological research questions, provide Traditional Owners with a comprehensive digital record of their rock art heritage and develop a long term management plan. Field research will include survey, 2-D and 3-D rock art recording, limited excavation and sampling for dating. The project is designed to situate Wellington Range rock art in regional and global contexts in order to better understand long-term north Australian Aboriginal experience and its expression in relation to other hunter-gatherer groups and to gain new insight into human cultural and cognitive development.Read moreRead less