Author: Nikolajs Svede
Svede, Nikolajs, 2024 Columns of Time: Investigating site formation processes of Pilbara rockshelter deposits, Flinders University, College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
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This thesis delves into the site formation processes of rockshelters in the Pilbara region, an area profoundly affected by mining activities. Archaeological practice in the Pilbara has predominantly been driven by consulting for legislative compliance, with rockshelter sites the primary source of temporal investigation. Although previous geoarchaeological work on Pilbara rock shelters has shown its utility and provided essential insights into the region's archaeology, its application beyond academic settings has been limited. Over the past two decades, a surge in mining activities has led to a significant increase in rockshelter excavations. However, the advancement in analytical methods and approaches used by archaeologists has not kept pace with this expansion, underscoring an urgent need for the development of more sophisticated analytical techniques to fully comprehend these culturally significant sites. Employing geoarchaeological techniques—including particle size analysis, magnetic susceptibility, loss on ignition (LOI), pH testing, alongside optically stimulated luminescence (OSL), AMS radiocarbon dating, and the development of Bayesian outlier models—this research examines the formation processes of three seemingly similar and generally typical Pilbara rockshelters. The analysis uncovers substantial differences among the shelters that are not readily explained by standard compliance archaeology methods alone. By introducing small but significant modifications to standard excavation procedures and emphasizing the analysis of sediments, often neglected in excavation analyses, this thesis reconstructs more nuanced historical narratives of these sites. Extending from the pre-glacial period, through the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), to the present day, it provides a comprehensive view of the environmental and human influences on the formation and use of these rock shelters. The findings highlight the value of geoarchaeology in deepening our understanding of rockshelter sites and advocate for a wider application of sediment analysis in archaeological excavations. This not only enriches current excavation practices but also holds significant implications for revisiting legacy collections and samples currently in storage. The thesis concludes that integrating geoarchaeological perspectives and dedicating more attention to the study of archaeological sediments within excavated sites can yield new insights into past human and environmental interactions, enhance data interrogation methods, and broaden the understanding of sites within their specific temporal and cultural contexts.
Keywords: Pilbara, archaeology, geoarchaeology, rockshelters, deposits, site formation processes, sediment analysis, magnetic susceptibility, Loss on ignition (LOI), pH testing, optically stimulated luminescence (OSL), AMS radiocarbon dating, Bayesian outlier models, compliance archaeology, legacy collections, excavation practice, Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), Pleistocene, Holocene, Eastern Guruma, Australia
Subject: Archaeology thesis
Thesis type: Masters
Completed: 2024
School: College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
Supervisor: Professor Ian Moffat