Grant Wg Cochrane

A progress report on research into stone artefacts of the southern Arcadia Valley, central Queensland

Abstract We report on progress made to date on a collaborative project which aims to shed light on various aspects of lithic technology in the southern Arcadia Valley, central Queensland. Analysis of >4000 stone artefacts indicates that silcrete was an important lithic resource locally. Initial results from portable x-ray fluorescence analysis of a sample of artefacts suggests that this technique may be capable of characterising geochemical signatures for different silcrete sources. Gloss analysis suggests that 20–45% of the silcrete artefacts were heated prior to manufacture. Further use of this method, in combination with archaeomagnetism, is expected to provide more precise information about this practice.

Marcia hiantina shell matrix sites at Norman Creek, western Cape York Peninsula

Abstract The abundant shell matrix sites around Albatross Bay near Weipa, western Cape York Peninsula, provide an important source of evidence for models of mid- to late Holocene Aboriginal subsistence strategies in the region. While there is considerable variation in the size and spatial distribution of these sites, their surficial species composition is almost invariably dominated by Anadara granosa (blood cockle). In this paper I describe a complex of shell matrix sites at Norman Creek, ~60 km south of Weipa, that do not conform to this trend. Like the Albatross Bay sites, they exhibit considerable variation in size, but their surficial species composition is dominated by Marcia hiantina (hiant Venus). This suggests that, in the past, shellfish foraging in the region was not exclusively focused on A. granosa. There are several factors that may influence variation in species composition, including shellfish ecology, economic and cultural values, and taphonomic processes. Further research, including detailed sub-surface investigation of shell matrix sites, is necessary to evaluate the role(s), and interplay, of these factors.

Design Theory and the Australian Tula Adze

The tula adze is a distinctive composite tool that was used in the Australian arid zone during the late Holocene. In this paper we use design theory to investigate why this particular tool form was so pervasive across time and space. Design theory provides a rational means for classifying tool designs and for determining why particular tool design classes were employed over others. We draw upon ethnographic and archaeological evidence to characterize the design of the tula adze and conclude that it is consistently the product of a “reliable” design strategy. We further determine that the high cost of a reliable design was chosen because the tula adze was employed in situations where failure could not be tolerated. Specifically, we argue that an important role of the tula adze was to manufacture wooden goods for not only personal use but more significantly for trade. The quantity and quality of these goods had an extremely strong bearing on the economic sustainability of arid zone Aboriginal groups.

A composite model of scraper variation: a case study from the Stud Creek catchment, northwest NSW

Abstract Morphological variation of scrapers from two artefact concentrations in the Stud Creek catchment, northwest New South Wales (NSW) is examined to investigate whether variation in retouch fits best with a segmented, continuum or composite model. Technological and typological analyses are used to characterise morphological variation. The results clearly show that a composite model, associated with a plurality in the purposes of retouching and in the nature of tool-use prior to discard, is applicable. We argue that the cautious use of typology, requiring phases of hypothesis development and testing, can play an important role in elucidating the nature of morphological variation.