This thesis is a “Thesis by Compilation”, wherein the thesis is comprised of both chapters that have been submitted as independent research papers to peer- reviewed academic journals (Chapters 3—7), and an exegesis: Chapters 1, 2, and 8, which have not been submitted elsewhere. Following the ANU guidelines for “Thesis by Compilation” (Appendix A), Chapters 3—7 are styled and formatted in accordance with the requirements of the journal to which they are submitted, and signed authorship declarations detail the contribution of each author at the beginning of each of these chapters. Chapters 3—6 are published and Chapter 7 is under review. References cited within Chapters 1, 2, and 8 are presented in a single reference list after Chapter 8, before the appendices. All references cited within submitted chapters are listed at the end of each individual chapter.
Chapter 1 has introduced the rationale and aims for this thesis and provided background information on the Kimberley region. The two main aims of this thesis are (1) to explore late Quaternary human-environment interaction at two archaeological sites in Bunuba and Gooniyandi country, and (2) to develop the application of archaeobotanical analyses in Australia. This introductory chapter outlined the palaeo-environmental and archaeological investigations conducted in the region to date in order to provide essential context for the aims of this research, by establishing our current understanding of human-environment interaction in the region and identifying gaps in the literature. The rest of the chapter outlines the structure of the thesis and describes how the aims will be achieved.
Chapter 2 describes the methods used in this research and situates the selected methods within the Australian and International literature in order to identify key methodological issues and explicate the rationale for the application of these methods. In particular, the collation and creation of the Bunuba-Gooniyandi wood charcoal reference collection is described and the materials used as reference for pollen analysis are introduced. Sampling techniques in the field and laboratory are presented in greater detail than the submitted chapters. The key theoretical precepts of the anthracological discipline and its status in Australia are examined, alongside a brief review of the current state of archaeobotanical analysis in Australia, which is explored in order to provide the necessary context for the
second thesis aim. Finally, novel methods, including the application of X-ray microtomography and the analysis of pollen from cave sediments are defined, but an attempt has been made to complement, rather than repeat the methods presented in Chapters 5 and 7.
Chapters 3 and 4 present the results of anthracological analyses conducted at Riwi. Chapter 3, Wood charcoal analysis at Riwi cave, Gooniyandi country,
Western Australia, reconstructs Riwi’s local woody vegetation throughout the
site’s occupation through analysis of charcoals excavated from non-combustion feature contexts, and compares this local reconstruction with broader palaeo- climatic and palaeo-environmental records. Chapter 4, Home is Where the Hearth Is: Anthracological and Microstratigraphic Analyses of Pleistocene and Holocene Combustion Features, Riwi Cave (Kimberley, Western
Australia), combines the anthracological and micromorphological analysis of
Riwi’s combustion features and compares these results with the non-combustion feature assemblages presented in Chapter 3, in order to infer changes in the technological use of fire, fuel resource management practices, and occupation intensity through time. The combined anthracological and micromorphological analyses enable the proposal of a typology of combustion feature types and a definition of their chronology, which have important archaeological and methodological implications for both Australian and International archaeology that are discussed at the end of the chapter.
Chapter 5, X-ray computed microtomography and the identification of wood taxa selected for archaeological artefact manufacture: Rare examples from
Australian contexts, identifies the wood taxa used to produce two wooden
implements recovered from Riwi: the negative component of a fire drill and an artefact fragment. While showcasing the archaeological application of X-ray microtomography, the chapter also draws on archaeobotanical analyses presented in Chapter 3 and Dilkes-Hall (2014) in order to show that the past inhabitants of Riwi selected certain woods for specific purposes at least within the last 1000 years of the site’s occupation. In particular, the paper argues that wood from the genera Grevillea and Hakea were avoided as fuel as they were an important resource for tool making.
Chapter 6, The curious case of Proteaceae: macrobotanical investigations
at Mount Behn rockshelter, Bunuba country, Western Australia, presents the
results of anthracological and macrobotanic analyses conducted at Mount Behn rockshelter. Neither the wood charcoal nor macrobotanic records are representative of the local species richness, precluding both the reconstruction of local vegetation and an in depth exploration of resource management and use. Certain taxa are over-represented, in particular Celtis spp. endocarps and wood charcoal from the Proteaceae family. The taphonomy of seeds and wood charcoal is explored in depth, and a regional picture is drafted to explain the differential management of Proteaceae wood resources at Mount Behn rockshelter and Riwi.
Chapter 7, Three archaeobotanical proxies, two archaeological sites: complexities of human-environment interaction in Bunuba and Gooniyandi
country, Kimberley region, Western Australia, presents the results of
palynological analyses conducted on Holocene deposits at Mount Behn rockshelter and Riwi, alongside summaries of anthracological and macrobotanic analyses published elsewhere (Chapter 3, 4, 6, and Dilkes-Hall 2014). Pollen is poorly recovered from Riwi but well-preserved at Mount Behn rockshelter. In this chapter, the taphonomy and representativeness of each of the three proxies is explored in depth and the benefits of multi-proxy analysis discussed. The results are compared with broader palaeo-climatic and palaeo-environmental archives in order to provide a synthesis of human-environment interaction during the Holocene.
In the final chapter, Chapter 8, the major findings of this research are evaluated alongside the research aims presented in the introduction.