F. Donald Pate

Bone chemistry and paleodiet

Bone chemistry paleodietary studies are emerging as important research areas in archaeology, biological anthropology, and paleontology. With appropriate controls, the inorganic and organic chemical composition of bones and teeth can provide information about past diet and habitat use. Chemical signatures are used to address individual dietary variability in early hominid fossils, paleontological remains, and more recent human and faunal populations.

LAST RECORDED EVIDENCE FOR MEGAFAUNA AT WET CAVE, NARACOORTE, SOUTH AUSTRALIA 45,000 YEARS AGO

Over 85 percent of Australian terrestrial vertebrate genera with a body mass greater than 44 kg became extinct during the late Pleistocene. These included all marsupials exceeding 100 kg (1 9 species) and 22 of the 38 species between 10 and 100 kg. Dwarfing occurred in many other species (Flannery 1990; Miller et al. 1999). The larger of these extinct animals have been categorised as megafauna.

New radiocarbon dates for the Roonka Flat Aboriginal burial ground, South Australia

The Roonka Flat site has produced the largest well-provenanced pre-European Aboriginal burial population in Australia. The site is located on an elevated sand flat on the west bank of the lower Murray River near Blanchetown, South Australia. The skeletal remains have been studied by a range of specialists in mortuary analysis, physical anthropology, dental anthropology, palaeopathology and palaeodiet (Pretty and Kricun 1989; Pate 1997a, 1998, in press).

Late Holocene Climatic Changes Recorded In Macropod Bone Collagen Stable Carbon And Nitrogen Isotopes At Fromms Landing, South Australia

Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses of human and faunal bone have been used extensively by archaeologists to address past human dietary composition (Pate 1994; Bocherens et al. 1999). Because stable isotope values also vary in response to climatic conditions, isotopic analyses of faunal bone may provide information about changes in climate that can supplement data derived from palynology and other palaeoenvironmental techniques. Bone collagen stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses of modern South Australian macropods collected at four sites along a transect from temperate coastal Mount Gambier in the south to arid inland Innamincka in the north (Pate et al. 1998) showed increasing (more positive) d 13 C and d 15 N values from coast to interior. These modem stable isotope data provide baseline values for palaeoclimatic inferences. This paper evaluates the validity of employing stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses of archaeological faunal bone as a means to assess minor fluctuations in Late Holocene climate in southeastern South Australia. Grey kangaroo (Macropus sp.) bone samples were taken from various stratigraphic levels at Fromms Landing, Shelter 2 dating from ca 5000 BP to the early historic period, AD 1840s (Mulvaney 1960; Mulvaney et al. 1964). The Fromms Landing sites are located on the west bank of the lower Murray River approximately 90 km east of Adelaide.

Palaeodietary inferences from bone collagen stable carbon isotopes at Roonka Flat, South Australia

The Roonka Flat archaeological site on the lower Murray River of South Australia provides one of the largest well provenanced prehistoric Aboriginal skeletal populations in Australia. Bone specimens from a large sample of the population were submitted for stable carbon isotope palaeodietary analysis to address: 1. relative access to foods from coastal, riverine and arid interior habitats and 2. dietary variability within the population (Pate 1994a,1994b).

Additional AMS radiocarbon dates for Wet Cave and the timing of megafaunal extinctions in the Naracoorte region of South Australia

Previously published AMS radiocarbon ages for charcoal obtained from a stratigraphic profile at Wet Cave (5U10), Naracoorte World Heritage Area, southeastern South Australia (Pate et al. 2002), suggested that a range of megafauna disappeared from the site by ca. 45,000 years ago. The Wet Cave radiocarbon chronology provided additional data to support claims for a continentwide extinction of megafauna in Australia by about 46,000 years ago (See Miller et al. 1999, 2005; Roberts et al. 2001, Johnson & Prideaux 2004, Johnson 2005). Here we report an additional eight AMS radiocarbon ages for charcoal from the same stratigraphic sequence at Wet Cave in order to provide other researchers with access to the expanded dataset.

A Changed Landscape: Horticulture and Gardening in the Adelaide Hills Face Zone, South Australia, 1836–1890

The Adelaide Hills Face Zone Cultural Heritage Project examined landscape use in an area of the Adelaide Hills of South Australia following European colonization. Protected by legislation that controlled development and agriculture in the area, the Hills Face Zone preserved a relict colonial landscape where a diversity of archaeological sites remained. A range of activities that had transformed the natural environment and created this new landscape were identified, including the creation of home and market gardens, experimental horticultural activities, and the establishment of plant nurseries. Because the knowledge and experiences brought by the colonists from England were of limited use in this new environment, cultural adaptation and innovation played an important part in the transformation of the landscape.

Scientific evidence for the identification of an Aboriginal massacre at the Sturt Creek sites on the Kimberley frontier of north-western Australia

Archival research into episodes of frontier violence in the Kimberley region of Western Australia indicate that the bodies of Aboriginal victims of massacres were frequently incinerated following the event. This paper presents the results of a scientific investigation of a reported massacre at Sturt Creek where burnt bone fragments were identified in two adjacent sites and documents the archaeological signatures associated with the sites. The methodology used to undertake the project brought together three systems of knowledge: the oral testimonies of the descent group originating from a sole adult survivor of the massacre; archival, historical and scientific research. An archaeological survey defined the two distinct sites containing hundreds of fragile bone fragments; a third site was found to be highly disturbed. Scientific investigations included macroscopic and microscopic examination of selected bone fragments by an anatomical pathologist and a zooarchaeologist and X-ray diffraction analysis of sixteen bone fragments. The anatomical pathologist and zooarchaeologist undertook macroscopic and microscopic examinations of selected bone samples to identify morphological evidence for human origin. It was concluded that three bone fragments examined may have been human, and two of the fragments may have been from the vault of a skull. It was concluded that the likelihood of them being human would be strengthened if it was found that the three samples had been subjected to high temperatures. X-ray diffraction analysis of 16 bone fragments provided this evidence. All fragments showed sharp hydroxylapatite peaks (crystallite sizes 9882nm and 597nm respectively) and all had been subjected to extreme temperatures of either 600°C for more than 80h, 650°C for more than 20h, 700°C for more than 4h or 800°C for more than 1h. XRD analyses were also done on bone samples collected from three cooking hearths at three different archaeological sites. It was found that two of the three samples had been exposed to substantially lower temperatures for a short time period. It was concluded that there was strong pathological and archaeological evidence that the bone fragments were human in origin, but that the evidence was not conclusive. This research also identified archaeological signatures for the identification of massacre sites in similar Australian environments and circumstances.