Ingrid Ward

The dating of Doggerland – post-glacial geochronology of the southern North Sea

Abstract The landscapes and archaeological sites of the southern North Sea, drowned in the period 12–6 ky BP, represent an almost unexplored field of research. Published palaeoenvironmental reconstructions are largely speculative, being based on few published sea-level index points and in the absence of detailed physical and chronological surveys. In this paper, we review the post-glacial geochronology for the southern North Sea, which includes 54 radiocarbon ages derived from peat, 17 from molluscs and one known dated artefact. The lack of detailed contextual information for many dated samples means that there remains uncertainty in some elevation data, and thus in the resulting interpreted sea level. The archaeological artefacts are mostly derived deposits and thus are of limited use in palaeoenvironmental reconstruction. Overall, the data are consistent with current models of relative sea-level change back to about 10 ky BP (∼45 m depth) but beyond this, there is very little published data. Much more detailed stratigraphic, microfossil and geochemical analysis is needed to help verify chronological data, help interpret the sedimentary settings in which fossils and artefacts are found, and contribute towards more reliable palaeoenvironmental and archaeological reconstructions of the history of the southern North Sea.

Determining the preservation rating of submerged archaeology in the post-glacial southern North Sea: a first-order geomorphological approach

Abstract During most of the last glaciation, the southern North Sea floor was exposed and accessible to humans. Archaeological finds are concentrated around Brown Bank, Dogger Bank and the Norfolk Banks, but the Palaeolithic and Mesolithic archaeological potential of these areas is poorly known. Management of submerged archaeological heritage requires knowledge about location (potential) and context, ascribing significance (value) and determining risk. Thus, the preservation potential of primary and secondary archaeological material around these three areas is considered a) in the context of the post-glacial evolution of the southern North Sea and b) regarding natural and anthropogenic processes. A detailed review is followed by original research material describing an approach to assessing preservation potential. In general, low-energy deposits associated with former intertidal, floodplain or lacustrine environments are likely to preserve primary archaeological material, including organic remains, whilst (high-energy) riverine environments are more likely to preserve inorganic secondary archaeological material. The main possible anthropogenic impacts on submerged archaeology result from beam trawling, which may disturb deposits at the seafloor, and aggregate dredging, which may remove secondary deposits. Trawling and aggregate dredging are increasingly contributing to knowledge, through reporting finds through established protocols, and through assisting in funding relevant to multi-disciplinary research.

Coastal feasts: a Pleistocene antiquity for resource abundance in the maritime deserts of north west Australia?

ABSTRACT Located on the edge of Australias North West continental shelf, Barrow Island is uniquely located to address a number of research questions, such as the antiquity and changing nature of Indigenous occupation, including shifting uses of regional economic resources in response to post-glacial sea-level rise. These questions are addressed from a range of archaeological, zooarchaeological, and geoarchaeological disciplines. Although only preliminary, results to date indicate the presence of marine resources dating to before sea-level stabilization (∼ 7.5 ka) that contain both dietary and utilitarian species, including high-ranked species such as sea turtle. The marine assemblages reflect a variety of habitats and substrates with a 17,000-year record for the presence of a former tidal marsh or estuary. We also note recently obtained 14C and OSL dates that extend the dietary marine faunas and initial occupation to well before 41 ka. This demonstrates that consumption of coastal resources began prior to the Holocene, when we begin to observe more widespread evidence of marine resource exploitation in the broader Canarvon Bioregion of northwest Australia. This evidence supports arguments for further research to directly test both the productivity of, and human reliance on, marine habitats from initial occupation.

Sedimentary Processes and the Pandora Wreck, Great Barrier Reef, Australia

AbstractThe hydrodynamic and sedimentary processes at the seabed are particularly relevant to wreck formation processes. In conjunction with archaeological work in 1997, seismic and sediment surveys were undertaken around the wreck site of the H.M.S. Pandora (1791), on the eastern edge of the Great Barrier Reef northern Australia. Further, wave and current meters were deployed at the wreck site for a one-month period in order to characterize the local hydrodynamic regime.At the Pandora wreck site, tides occur twice daily, and have a stronger ebb tide than flood. The wreck is buried in sediments dominated by the remains of calcareous algae and foraminifera, and laboratory experiments on these sediments indicate that appreciable transport of sediment occurs at the site under the influence of large spring tides. Sedimentation is controlled by tidal and other unidirectional currents, except during major storm events when waves become important. Wreck disintegration can be considered using a model which relate...

To the islands born: The research potential of submerged landscapes and human habitation sites from the islands of NW Australia

Abstract This paper focuses on the continental shelf of NW Australia, and on models for change in littoral and offshore environments of relevance to human occupation over the last 50 kyr. Major island groups occur on the shelf including the Montebello and Barrow islands, and those of the Dampier Archipelago. At lowest sea level around 22 ka, these would have been uplands that then became progressively isolated by subsequent sea-level rise. By integrating archaeological and zooarchaeological records from excavations on these islands with the geology and geomorphology, we interpret palaeoeconomic resource potential in relation to changing sea level and coastline morphology. The preservation potential for submerged archaeological sites and features is also assessed. Current archaeological evidence from these offshore islands indicates that the submerged coastal landscape is likely to have been a potentially rich environment for resources and human occupation, even at times of lowest sea level and regional aridity. Should any exploration of submerged archaeology be carried out in this region, it is likely to be rewarding, offering unique insights into Late Pleistocene coastal occupation.

The lost art of stratigraphy? A consideration of excavation strategies in Australian indigenous archaeology

Abstract Archaeological interpretation is increasingly an interdisciplinary effort between archaeologists and specialists of various archaeological sciences. In such integrated work, excavation data are the primary reference to provide context for the vast range of cultural and biological material that are later investigated. A review of over three decades of published Australian archaeological data shows that there is a widespread practice in the use of arbitrary excavation units, not only as excavation tools but also as analytical units. Building from the lectures of Smith on the Lost Art of Stratigraphy and other published literature, this paper explores some of the issues surrounding different excavation strategies applied today, particularly in Australian prehistoric archaeology, and the implications and impacts on interpretation of archaeological and palaeoenvironmental results. It is argued that, while arbitrary excavation is appropriate in certain circumstances, the best method for excavation, sampling and interpretation of archaeological sites is by stratigraphic context because it provides a more precise understanding of the original depositional context and what that might tell us about past environment and past human behaviour.

A mid- to late Holocene sequence from weld range, mid West Western Australia, in local, regional and inter-regional context

Abstract The late Holocene Aboriginal archaeology of the inland Mid West region of Western Australia remains poorly synthesised. In this paper a mid- to late Holocene sequence excavated at rockshelter Weld-RS-0731 is considered in the local context of surface archaeology and other excavated sites. The site’s lithic assemblage is distinct in terms of artefact size, technological types and lithologies, pointing to repeated patterns of site function and specialist task activities. At the inter-regional scale, a paucity of data means that models of late Holocene cultural and linguistic shifts have inadequately considered the role of the inland Mid West, despite the occurrence of some highly significant sites, such as Walganha, and Wilgie Mia and Little Wilgie ochre mines. A fragment of ochre excavated at Weld-RS-0731 and geochemically provenanced to Little Wilgie dates to approximately 2500 cal. BP, providing the earliest absolute age estimate for use of that mine. The possible role of the inland Mid West in late Holocene inter-regional relations and the resultant cultural and linguistic shifts is discussed.

Depositional Context as the Foundation to Determining the Palaeolithic and Mesolithic Archaeological Potential of Offshore Wind Farm Areas in the Southern North Sea

Abstract There is currently limited evidence on which to assess the submerged prehistoric potential in areas of renewable energy development. This paper presents a geomorphological approach to examine the Palaeolithic and Mesolithic archaeological potential in relation to the Round 3 offshore wind farm (OWF) areas of the southern North Sea. The depositional context and major stratigraphic correlations between the terrestrial sequence on east coast of Britain and offshore marine sequence of the southern North Sea are used to provide a first-order assessment for identifying horizons of archaeological interest in OWF zones. Using the examples Triton Knoll and East Anglia One OWF, the nature of renewable energy development on identified archaeological horizons is discussed, noting that any impact needs to be considered on a site-by-site basis. Studies are not only needed on the practical assessment of any development impact but also on the impacts of natural processes in OWF zones.

What to make of the 'Murchison Cement'?: A re-examination of a megafaunal fossil site in the Mid West, Western Australia

Abstract The ‘Murchison Cement’ is a term that has been informally used since the 1960s to describe numerous stratigraphic units in the middle catchment of the Murchison and Greenough Rivers, in Mid West Western Australia. The significance of these deposits relates to their embedded artefact and megafaunal assemblages, uncovered by investigations from the Franco-Australian Quaternary Project (FAQP) during the 1970s. Researchers still debate the contemporaneity of the archaeological and megafaunal material within these deposits because of the complex nature of the depositional environment. This paper questions the practicality of the term Murchison Cement and reports on a new megafaunal fossil and possible artefact find at Ballinu (Ballinyoo) Spring. Preliminary sedimentological and micromorphological analyses show similarities in the sediment directly associated with the fossil and some of the artefacts archived from the FAQP. Initial luminescence analyses of silicified sediments associated with the fossil indicate a depositional age of ~56 kya, with evidence of reworking at approximately 14 kya. Whilst late Pleistocene human occupation in the region is indicated, the contemporaneity with megafaunal fossils remains uncertain.

Underwater archaeology and submerged landscapes in Western Australia

This research aims to explore the submerged landscapes of the Pilbara of western Australia, using predictive archaeological modelling, airborne LiDAR, marine acoustics, coring and diver survey. It includes excavation and geophysical investigation of a submerged shell midden in Denmark to establish guidelines for the underwater discovery of such sites elsewhere.