Short-term late Holocene dry season occupation and sandy-mud flat focused foraging at Murdumurdu, Bentinck Island, Gulf of Carpentaria
Twaddle, Robin W., Sloss, Craig R., Lowe, Kelsey M., Moss, Patrick, Mackenzie, Lydia L., and Ulm, Sean (2017) Short-term late Holocene dry season occupation and sandy-mud flat focused foraging at Murdumurdu, Bentinck Island, Gulf of Carpentaria. Queensland Archaeological Research, 20. pp. 9-46.
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Abstract
Archaeological survey, excavations, and analyses of the Murdumurdu shell midden on Bentinck Island, Gulf of Carpentaria are reported. Patterns of subsistence as well as the timing and periodicity of site use are investigated through quantification of cultural materials, AMS radiocarbon dating, stable isotopic analysis of Marcia hiantina shell carbonates (δ18O and δ13C), magnetic susceptibility analysis of the deposits and palaeoenvironmental reconstruction. Exploitation of shellfish focused on sandy-mud flat species (especially M. hiantina and Gafrarium pectinatum) with occupation occurring exclusively during the dry season (May-August). Radiocarbon dating reveals that the main period of occupation was short, albeit intense and occurred c.300 years ago. Initiation of occupation closely follows the establishment of freshwater conditions in the adjacent Marralda Swamp. These factors suggest that use of Murdumurdu was limited, potentially representing a single deposition event or multiple short, discrete episodes, in a landscape rich with similar archaeological deposits.
| Item ID: | 49924 |
|---|---|
| Item Type: | Article (Research - C1) |
| ISSN: | 1839-339X |
| Keywords: | Kaiadilt; Bentinck Island; Aboriginal; Indigenous Australian archaeology |
| Related URLs: | |
| Additional Information: | This journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge. |
| Funders: | Australian Research Council (ARC) |
| Projects and Grants: | ARC DP120103179, ARC FT120100656 |
| Date Deposited: | 22 Aug 2017 05:06 |
| FoR Codes: | 45 INDIGENOUS STUDIES > 4501 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, language and history > 450101 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander archaeology @ 50% 43 HISTORY, HERITAGE AND ARCHAEOLOGY > 4301 Archaeology > 430101 Archaeological science @ 50% |
| SEO Codes: | 95 CULTURAL UNDERSTANDING > 9505 Understanding Past Societies > 950503 Understanding Australias Past @ 50% 95 CULTURAL UNDERSTANDING > 9503 Heritage > 950302 Conserving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage @ 50% |
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