Abstract
In Australia, geomorphological change since the late nineteenth century ensures surface artifact visibility but the contribution of full coverage regional survey to an understanding of past landscape use is limited by the lack of easily datable artifacts. Here, we describe a multi-stage survey strategy based around intensive archaeological, geomorphological and chronological studies as an alternative to traditional site-based approaches. We view the formation of the archaeological record as a sedimentary process and use a geomorphological approach to understand the history of landscape use from surface artifact scatters. We pay particular attention to recording datasets with reference to the timescales over which they have accumulated, and we discuss the types of behavioral inferences that can be drawn from the results of intensive survey, illustrated using the results from our western New South Wales research.
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Acknowledgments
A version of this paper was presented in the symposium “Survey Methodologies in Global Archaeological Contexts” organized by Gregory G. Indrisano and William Honneychurch at the 2004 SAA meetings, Montreal. We thank the organizers for inviting us to participate in the symposium. We are indebted to the Indigenous traditional owners of country in western NSW for their permission to undertake this research, and their help and support with fieldwork. We particularly acknowledge the assistance of Badger Bates, Maureen O’Donnell, Ray O’Donnell, Bernie O’Donnell, Maxine O’Donnell, Paul Menz and young Bernie O’Donnell. The initial impetus for the research came from Dan Witter, formerly with the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service. Funding was provided by an Australian Research Council Large Grant to S.H. and P.F., and various internal grants. Students from Auckland and Macquarie Universities provided invaluable labor in the field. We thank the University of NSW for permission to conduct the research at Fowlers Gap Arid Zone Research Station.The paper has benefited from the thoughtful and insightful reviews of Bob Elston, Jim O’Connell and two anonymous reviewers, and discussions with Harry Allen, Cathy Cameron, Judith Littleton, Justin Shiner, LuAnn Wandsnider and John Pickard.
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Holdaway, S., Fanning, P. Developing a Landscape History as Part of a Survey Strategy: A Critique of Current Settlement System Approaches based on Case Studies from Western New South Wales, Australia. J Archaeol Method Theory 15, 167–189 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10816-008-9051-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10816-008-9051-y