Archaeology

School of Social Sciences

Seminar Series

2015

Victoria Anderson

UWA Archaeology

Rock art of the mid-Holocene marine transgression on the Dampier Archipelago

Dampier Archipelago, located on the sub-tropical

northwest coast of Australia, is home to arguably

the largest and most dense concentration of

petroglyphs in the world. The distinctive geology of

this region, characterised by spectacular piles of

fractured blocks, provides countless suitable

canvases for rock art production. This resource-rich

island chain has not, however, always been as such.

At the height of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM),

approximately 21,000 years ago, sea levels were 130

metres lower than at present. During this period,

the ocean was 160 km distant and what now

comprises a series of 42 islands, was then an inland

range on a vast plain. As the sea advanced, reaching

its current position 6000 years ago, people were

likely forced to adapt to their changing

environment. On the Dampier Archipelago a

unique opportunity exists to understand how people

responded to this dramatic landscape

transformation, using the prolific rock art as a lens.

The primary goal of this proposed research is to

explore the ways in which people responded and

adapted to the arrival of the sea through a detailed

analysis of the rock art and associated archaeological evidence. The project will also focus on refining the

stylistic chronology of Holocene art in the area. Broad chronologies have been developed for the Murujuga

rock art by Mulvaney, Veth and McDonald, however this current research proposal aims to improve

stylistic characterisation of art within the maritime-focussed phases of the sequence.

4-5pm Thursday 10th December, 2015

Social Sciences, Lecture Theatre (G130)