Archaeology of Ancient Australia

Abstract

Australia has been inhabited for 50,000 years. This clear and compelling book shows how it is possible to unearth this country’s long human history when our historical records are limited to the few hundred years since its European discovery. Beginning with the first human colonization and ending with European contact in the eighteenth century, Peter Hiscock traces the ever-changing and sometimes turbulent history of the Australian Aboriginal peoples and their ancestors. While they remained hunters and gatherers throughout this time, their culture continually evolved, with their changes in economics, technology, cosmology, beliefs and social life. Hiscock shows how this human past can be reconstructed from archaeological evidence in easy-to-read style and without unnecessary jargon or detail, yet reflecting the weight of scientific research. Including information from genetics, environmental sciences, anthropology and history, this book encompasses the wide variety of disciplines in the sciences and humanities which contribute to an archaeological investigation. World-renowned discoveries such as the human bodies at Lake Mungo, the ice- age art sites of Arnhem Land, the deformed human skulls from Kow Swamp, the early ornaments and paintings from remote desert caves, and the puzzling giant shell mounds of the north coast, are discussed and extensively illustrated. The result is not only a comprehensive and understandable introduction for beginners in archaeology, but also a challenging and absorbing view about the richness and variety of ancient human civilization.