Thea Kinsela Project Officer Young Archaeologistsâ€™ Program

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Teaching depth studies in Ancient World History

Thea KinselaProject OfficerYoung Archaeologists’ ProgramLa Trobe University

(c) Alethea Kinsela 2013. All rights reserved.

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High school teaching, university lecturing, research and contract experience

Archaeology field experience:

Western Sydney –Year 10 work experience

Port Arthur – 2011

Czech Republic – 2012

Australia – 2011-ongoing


1. Clarify important historical and archaeological terms of reference

2. Define ‘Ancient Australia’3. Cover critical points in the ‘Ancient Australia’

timeline4. Discuss ways to approach the topic ‘Ancient

Australia’ in the classroom5. Examine some stone tools


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The study of the human past using scientific analysis of material remains



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What? Where? When? Who? Why? How?


Sites Surveys Excavations

Tools Food remains Other disciplines


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Archaeology

Anthropology

Geology

History

Geography

PalaeoclimatologyBiology

Art history

Ecology

Palaeontology



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But is it possible to define the ‘history’ of Ancient Australia?


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A record or account of past events

All that is preserved or remembered of the past


Challenges from a ‘Western’ perspective: No written records

No visible architecture or infrastructure

Historical sources often biased

Approaches: Evidence

Theory

Interpretation


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What is it? Where did it start? When did it start? Who came here? Why did they come? How do we know?


Artefact types and styleStratigraphy and contextual data


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Measures the rate of decay in the unstable, radioactive isotope C14 to determine the age of organic matter

Only reliable for dates younger than about 40,000BP

Dates charcoal and bone


0

5

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1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1990 2000 2010

TH

OU

SA

ND

S O

F Y

EA

RS

AG

O


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1. Electron spin resonance (ESR)2. Thermoluminescence (TL)3. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL)

Often used in conjunction with radiocarbon dating to ensure accuracy of age-estimates

Often used when radiocarbon dates are not able to be determined


Measures the number of trapped electrons in enamel since the time of burial

Dates teeth


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Measures the number of trapped electrons that have accumulated since last exposure to sunlight

Uses heat to release the electrons Dates sand grains


Measures the number of trapped electrons that have accumulated since last exposure to sunlight

Uses light to release the electrons Dates sand grains


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0

5

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1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1990 2000 2010

TH

OU

SA

ND

S O

F Y

EA

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AG

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Estimated arrival of humans:

Conservative: 40,000 BP

Intermediate: 50-60,000 BP

Radical: 120,000 BP

Generally accepted baseline: 50,000 BP


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-140

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140 130 120 110 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0

THOUSANDS OF YEARS BEFORE PRESENT (BP)

People arrive in Australia c. 50,000 BP

Hig

her

sea

leve

ls

Last Glacial Maximumc. 18,000 BP

War

mer

tem

per

atu

res


30,000 years ago 18,000 years ago

9,000 years ago 3,000 years ago (c) Alethea Kinsela 2013. All rights reserved.

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Sea levels = 80 metres lower

Deep sea channels

People arrive: 50,000 BP

Sahul

Sunda


How did people get here?

Hiscock, 2008

Sea crossingbut…Multiple entry points?Multiple migration attempts?Multiple reasons?

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Reasons for attempting the journey

People had to move to escape the fallout of the Toba eruptionc.69-77,000 BP?

Hiscock, 2008


Reasons for attempting the journey

People saw smoke frombushfires across the horizonand decided to investigate?

Hiscock, 2008

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We may never know…

Hiscock, 2008

…because the earliest evidence is probably underwater

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA)

Passed from mother to child Measures historical distance between individuals

and a common ancestor Used to study the recent evolutionary history of

human lineages Has linked Aboriginal people to a single female

ancestor living 50,000 - 90,000 years ago(Hiscock 2008)


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mtDNA ≠ conclusive colonisation dates

Because this female ancestor may have originated outside of Australia


Arrival:50,000 BP


But what about dispersal?

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Theory #1


Theory #2


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Theory #3

(c) Alethea Kinsela 2013. All rights reserved.Hiscock, 2008

People had settled in most areas of the continent within a few thousand years of arrival

Coasts

Tropics

Sub-tropics

Riverinas

Temperate inland

High altitudes

Interior


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Nomads


Extended until about 10,500 BP

Drier climate Intense hot/cold

temperatures Lower sea levels Cooler temperatures Much larger arid zone


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140 130 120 110 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0



Hig

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sea

leve

ls


War

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LGM at its height around 18,000 BP

Seas up to 120m below present levels

During LGM, people retreated to refuges


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ARID

Range


Ranges used as a base and refuge in arid zones and during LGM

Watersource


Malakanunja II

Upper SwanWillandra Lakes

Over 35,000

Mandu Mandu

Cave Bay Cave

DrualKeilor

Puritjarra

Birrigai

Kenniff

Over 20,000

Koonalda

Devils Lair

Nunamira

Over 30,000

Narrabullgin

Cuddie Springs

Bend Road

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10,500 BP until the present

Sea levels begin to rise Lakes overflowing by

7,000 BP Wetter climate until

5,500 BP Fluctuating wet-dry

conditions until present


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140 130 120 110 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0



Hig

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sea

leve

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War

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TEMPERATE

Range


Ranges used as a resource on the edge of occupation zones

Watersource

Watersource

EARLIER TOOLS

Primarily backed tools Used mainly for hunting Probably a male activity

LATER TOOLS

Variety of tools Used in everyday activities Used by both men and

women


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The Grampians:Pleistocene

The Grampians:Holocene



Same place…

…different timeand use

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Rock art Rock shelters Shell middens Burials Contact sites Quarries Scarred/carved trees Stone arrangements Cultural/spiritual sites

Nabulwinjbulwinj, Kakadu National Park



Rock shelter, Kakadu National Park


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Shell midden at the PAHSMA Coal Mines, Tasman Peninsula



WLH3, Lake Mungo (australiangeographic.com.au)


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Glass scraper, Whittlesea, VIC


Mount William greenstone quarry


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Scar tree, Goulburn River (taungurung.info)




Bay of Fires, TAS (aboriginalheritage.tas.gov.au)

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Lightning Dreaming site, Arnhem Land


Malakanunja II


Over 35,000

Mandu Mandu

Cave Bay Cave

DrualKeilor

Puritjarra

Birrigai

Kenniff

Over 20,000

Koonalda

Devils Lair

Nunamira

Over 30,000

Narrabullgin

Cuddie Springs

Bend Road

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Hiscock, 2008

MegafaunaBlack = extinct Pleistocene speciesWhite = living species


Hiscock, 2008


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Hiscock, 2008



Hiscock, 2008


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Hiscock, 2008


Occurred at or just before human arrival Debated causes – natural or human?


Diprotodon skeleton(Cosgrove, 2006)

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Evidence suggests megafauna naturally died out due to drastic ecological change

Studies of emu egg shells reveal a change in diet – food supplies dried up

Most megafauna extinctby 45,000 BP


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“The Ancient period covers history from the development of early human communities (from 60 000 BCE) to the end of late antiquity (around 650 CE)”


Ancient Australia

What is it? Where did it start? When did it start? Who came here? Why did they come? How do we know?


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Malakanunja II


Over 35,000

Mandu Mandu

Cave Bay Cave

DrualKeilor

Puritjarra

Birrigai

Kenniff

Over 20,000

Koonalda

Devils Lair

Nunamira

Over 30,000

Narrabullgin

Cuddie Springs

Bend Road

Nauwalabila

MUNGO BURIALS COASTAL SHELL MIDDENS


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Fullagar, Price and Head, 1996



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TL sample

Engraved sandstone

Ground mudstone

2,300 years 50,000 years

75,300 years



TL sample

Engraved sandstone

Ground mudstone


75,300 years

Artefact!

Artefact!


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TL sample

Engraved sandstone

Ground mudstone


75,300 years

Artefact!

Artefact!

What went wrong?




TL sample

Ground mudstone

Engraved sandstone

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Which dating methods were used?

How old did archaeologists first suggest Jinmium was?

What did people think about these dates?

Why did the world react this way?

How old is Jinmium really? How might this change the

way we think about history and archaeology?

Jinmium


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(c) Alethea Kinsela 2013. All rights reserved.Burke and Smith, 2004

Flake

Core


Burke and Smith, 2004

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Questions?


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Thea Kinsela Project Officer Young Archaeologistsâ€™ Program

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