Inland Pilbara archaeology : a study of variation in aboriginal occupation over time and space on the Hamersley Plateau

Ben Marwick

Research output: ThesisMaster's Thesis

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Abstract

[Truncated] In this thesis I describe the results of my analysis of archaeological material and sediments excavated from four rockshelters on the northeast Hamersley Plateau, Western Australia and synthesise previously reported archaeological evidence from the inland Pilbara to answer two questions about Aboriginal occupation. The first question asks how humans in the inland Pilbara responded to the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and compares their response to those of people in surrounding areas. Archaeological evidence from areas surrounding the inland Pilbara, such as the northwest coast, the interior and the Kimberley, indicate that people abandoned sites or used them less frequently during the LGM. A unique and significant feature of the inland Pilbara is the Hamersley Plateau, a massive plateau and escarpment feature that concentrates plateau runoff into long and deep gorges with aquifer-fed pools. Previously reported sites in the inland Pilbara are not near the escarpment and suggest abandonment or reduced frequency of use during the LGM, but I present new evidence from Milly's Cave, located near the escarpment, that indicates increased use during the LGM. This evidence indicates that the pliancy of hunter-gatherer adaptive systems during the LGM may have been underestimated and the local as well as regional environments are significant in understanding hunter-gatherer adaptations to climate change.
Original languageEnglish
QualificationMasters
Awarding Institution
  • The University of Western Australia
DOIs
Publication statusUnpublished - 2002

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  • This thesis has been made available in the UWA Profiles and Research Repository as part of a UWA Library project to digitise and make available theses completed before 2003. If you are the author of this thesis and would like it removed from the UWA Profiles and Research Repository, please contact [email protected]

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