Anthony Barham

Cave Archaeology and Sampling Issues in the Tropics: A Case Study from Lene Hara Cave, a 42,000 Year Old Occupation Site in East Timor, Island Southeast Asia

Abstract New evidence from Lene Hara Cave, East Timor, demonstrates that it was first occupied by modern humans by 42,454±450 cal BP at approximately the same time as nearby Jerimalai shelter. Together these sites constitute the earliest evidence for modern human colonisation of Island Southeast Asia east of the Sunda Shelf. Here we report on the dating and stratigraphy from the 2000 and 2002 test excavations at Lene Hara, as well as new dates obtained by sampling breccia deposits in 2009. The post-2000 excavations and sampling demonstrate that different areas of the cave preserve different sedimentary sequences and necessitate a revision of our earlier interpretations of the occupation history of the cave. At Lene Hara, and other caves with complex depositional histories in tropical regions, the occupation sequence will only be revealed through integrating information from extensive areal sampling. When calibrated, the early dates from East Timor now align closer to the oldest evidence for occupation in northern Australia, with substantial implications for current theories on the colonisation of this region by modern humans. The Nusa Tenggara (Lesser Sunda) island chain emerges as a likely passage for modern human entry into Greater Australia. In view of the short water crossings required to reach Flores from Timor, the apparent absence of modern humans on Flores prior to the Holocene appears highly anomalous.

Pre-Bomb Marine Reservoir Variability in the Kimberley Region, Western Australia

New ΔR values are presented for 10 known-age shells from the Kimberley region of northwest Australia. Previous estimates of ΔR for the Kimberley region are based on only 6 individual shell specimens with dates of live collection known only to within 50 yr (Bowman 1985a). Here, we describe the results of our recent attempts to constrain ΔR variability for this region by dating a suite of known-age pre-AD 1950 shell samples from the Australian Museum and Museum Victoria. A regional ΔR of 58 ± 17 14C yr for open waters between Broome and Cape Leveque is recommended based on 7 of these specimens. The criteria used to select shells for dating and inclusion in the regional mean are discussed.

Kabadul Kula and the Antiquity of Torres Strait Rock Art

Abstract Excavations directly below a painted panel at Kabadul Kula rock art site on the island of Dauan, northern Torres Strait, revealed buried fragments of ochre pigment to a depth of 59cm. A series of AMS 14C dates indicate that most of the ochres and all pieces of facetted ochre were deposited between 1200 and 1400 years ago. Located in a moist tropical environment where the potential for erosion and bioturbation is high, the stratigraphic integrity of the deposit was tested by micromorphological analysis of sediments. Assessment of vertical changes in the size of stone artefacts and sediment particle sizes suggest strongly that this restricted timeframe for ochre use is reliable and not a taphonomic illusion created by post-depositional disturbance. These in situ ochres are associated with an early phase of painting at the site and represent the oldest dates currently available for Torres Strait rock art.

Holocene sequences and archaeology from the Crabble Paper Mill site, Dover, UK and their regional significance

The results of multidisciplinary investigations of the Quaternary sediments of the Dour valley, extending inland from Dover, Kent, are reported. The oldest sediments are unfossiliferous coarse gravels and silts of probable Late Devensian age. These are overlain by a complex series of peats and tufaceous sediments of early to mid-Holocene age. Pollen, mollusc, ostracod and vertebrate fossils (including the earliest British Holocene record of hazel dormouse) enable detailed reconstructions of the local environments and the vegetational and faunal history. A chronology is provided by a number of radiocarbon dates. The sequence is mantled by colluvial hillwash. The younger sediments have produced evidence for the presence of early humans (marine shells and flint artefacts) during the Bronze Age.

Stone constructions on Rankin Island, Kimberley, Western Australia

Abstract Here we report on a variety of stone constructions that have been recently recorded and mapped on Rankin Island in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. The function of one of these features, a long stone wall, is discussed in the context of similar built stone features in other areas of northern Australia and Torres Strait. The possibility that the wall functioned as a fish trap is examined but dismissed on the basis of the survey levelling data which indicate that even with a higher relative sea stand of +1–2m the wall would only have been breached by king tides on a few days of the year. It is probable that the wall had associative ‘ritual’ or ‘magic’ functions, although it is acknowledged that the distinction between ‘ritual’ and ‘subsistence’ is a moot one where increase ceremonies and hunting magic are regarded as essential for success in procuring resources.