Australian Museum Journal Changing Perspectives in Australian Archaeology, part II. Abydos Plain—equivocal archaeology
- Shortform:
- Sullivan et al., 2011. Tech. Rep. Aust. Mus., Online 23(2): 7–29
- Author(s):
- Sullivan, Marjorie; Hughes, Philip; Barham, Anthony
- Year published:
- 2011
- Title:
- Changing Perspectives in Australian Archaeology, part II. Abydos Plain—equivocal archaeology
- Serial title:
- Technical Reports of the Australian Museum (online)
- Volume:
- 23
- Issue:
- 2
- Start page:
- 7
- End page:
- 29
- DOI:
- 10.3853/j.1835-4211.23.2011.1567
- Language:
- English
- Date published:
- 17 June 2011
- Cover date:
- 17 June 2011
- ISSN:
- 1835-4211
- Publisher:
- The Australian Museum
- Place published:
- Sydney, Australia
- Subjects:
- ABORIGINES: AUSTRALIAN; ARCHAEOLOGY; CULTURE: INDIGENOUS
- Digitized:
- 17 June 2011
- Available online:
- 17 June 2011
- Reference number:
- 1567
- EndNote package:
- EndNote file
- Title page:
- Title page (38kb PDF)
- Complete work:
- Complete work (1066kb PDF)
Abstract
The difficulty of distinguishing between Aboriginal shell middens and natural shell deposits has been addressed in various settings. On the Abydos Plain near Port Hedland in northern Western Australia, archaeologists have generally not acknowledged this issue and have ascribed a cultural origin to most shell deposits. Recent investigations have demonstrated that episodic cyclones or storm waves on the coastal marshes have deposited or re-deposited shells that are similar in appearance to midden deposits, and that previous interpretations of the archaeology of the Plain are not justified. A geo-archaeological approach is essential to reveal the stratigraphic sequences and palaeo-processes which have controlled the formation of shell features on the Plain.