https://hdl.handle.net/2123/7230 2026-06-07T11:22:03Z https://hdl.handle.net/2123/23287 Colour and Identity in Ancient Greece Kowalski, Charlotte Jade This thesis explores the possible conventional use of colour for the representation of identity in ancient Greece from the sixth to the fourth centuries BC. The question is considered for broad identities based on gender, age, and mortal or mythological status, as well as more specific identities comprising figure types and representations of individuals. Colour is recorded for the physical characteristics and dress of the human form as it is represented in stone sculpture, terracotta figurines, and white-ground lekythoi. While previous studies have focused on analysing traces of colour through visual observation, studying ancient literature, or conducting programmes of scientific analysis, there has been less focus on the significance of colour in ancient Greece. One aspect that has received little attention is the role colour played in the representation and expression of identity. Therefore a need to perform a comparative systematic analysis across different categories of material evidence was identified. Data was collected from both publications and online sources and resulted in a corpus of material comprising 407 objects. The presence of patterns in the data was established through criteria based searches. The proportions of colours present for both physical characteristics and dress were analysed separately before the impact of identity was considered. These emerging patterns of colour selection are then examined with reference to comparative archaeological material and textual evidence for a greater understanding of the historical and social context in which these colours were employed in ancient Greece. No universal conventions for the application of colour based on the identities of the figures being represented were identified, but some trends suggest that colour choice was at least sometimes driven by considerations related to the projection of a specific identity. For instance, non-naturalistic colours were sometimes used for the physical characteristics of adult male mythological figures. It was also generally observed that the use of colour does not reinforce the projection of identity through dress type but instead cuts across dress boundaries. Comparative evidence from textual sources also suggests that colour may have functioned semiotically in ancient Greece. 2016-01-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/2123/18908 Rocky shores, mud, and mangroves: An assessment of economic intensification at the Yindayin rockshelter, Stanley Island Wright, Martin Economic intensification is a prominent concept in hunter-gatherer literature, being used to explain increasing hunter-gatherer complexity and the transition to domestication and permanent settlement. This study used invertebrate material from the Yindayin rockshelter to evaluate whether population driven economic intensification was present during the Holocene. Environmental and climate data was also assessed to evaluate its impact on the observed subsistence patterns. An explanatory model describing the occupation at Yindayin was produced that incorporated the results of the economic intensification assessment, the environmental and climatic data, and data from Beaton’s original analysis of Princess Charlotte Bay.This study did not find a unidirectional increase in occupation during the Holocene. Instead, the results demonstrated that subsistence and occupation patterns at the site were complex and non-linear with periods of increased intensity interspersed with periods of stability and abandonment. Environmental and climate change had the most visible effect on subsistence behaviours while the potential for population induced economic intensification was only identified within the last 200 years of occupation. The results emphasised that interactions between population, environment, and climate are complex, and that to presume there are singular explanations for variation in coastal occupation and subsistence is to deny this complexity. The study demonstrate how economic intensification can be deduced from archaeological correlates and how population driven effects may be separated from environmental effects under certain circumstances. Finally, this study demonstrated how valuable invertebrate assemblages can be for understanding the responses of coastal foragers to environmental and population driven resource pressure. 2018-01-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/2123/18801 POMPEIAN HOUSEHOLDS: IMPLICATIONS OF COSMETICS Marks, Beatrice This thesis collects the published material evidence surrounding the personal use of cosmetics and perfumes in Pompeii, and contains a typology of Roman unguentaria. The findings and analysis will be fundamentally archaeological, but will be supported by the ancient literary and secondary published works on archaeometry, especially chromatography. The main theory behind this research is that cosmetics may indicate certain room functions by gender and class, and could provide insight into the gendered use of space within Roman households. 2017-01-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/2123/18785 ATHENIANS. Surviving the Catastrophe: the peoples' response to the invasion, and the threat of becoming stateless (apolis) in the case of the Persian Wars Nestor, Nicola The Director of the Athenian Agora Excavations (1946-1967), Homer A. Thompson, said the following regarding the Persian-led destruction of Athens: "people's reaction to disasters is more indicative of a nation's character than their response to triumphs". The catastrophe of Athens by the Persian Empire in 480 and 479 B.C.E. appears to have been a deliberate attempt to cut the Athenians' connection to their ancestral homeland Attica, a landscape topographically diverse and self-sufficient that bounded ancestral memory, physical culture (nature and architecture), and civic organisation with its large, but scattered population. Evidence to permanently displace the Athenians is discovered in the historical and archaeological records through the destruction of the Agora and Akropolis. In religious and civic centre of the Agora, buildings and cultural materials (ceramic-wares) were destroyed and dumped into Athens' water-wells, a scheme which appears aimed to prevent any salvage operation by a returning population. On the sacred citadel of the Akropolis, votive offerings such as the beautiful Akropolis korai, statues that captured the realism of Archaic period Athenian mothers and daughters, were targeted and brutally mutilated beyond repair. The manner of their 'execution' was traumatic enough that the people buried these 'daughters' around the sanctuary and their presence disappeared. By abandoning their country twice within 12 months to the invading forces of the Great King, the Athenians became a stateless people, bereft of their city (apolis). The situation in Athens was one of many encountered by Greek poleis during one of the ancient world's most turbulent epochs when Herodotus and Thucydides describe metoikesis (migration) and apolis (becoming stateless) as a frequent occurrence. How did the Athenians recover from the Persian invasions and achieve what should be considered the unthinkable? In history, the Athenian abandonment, devastation and subsequent recovery of their polis, is arguably one of the greatest feats of endurance by a settled population. However, the extent of destruction, cultural repair and economic recovery has not been adequately analysed. 'Athenians' is an introductory study of a catastrophic invasion and a people's response, survival and repair of their polis and identity. The study reinvestigates the Kleisthenic reforms to identify Demokratia as a system which integrated Attica's key strengths; topography, resources, together with its people to defend, withdraw and recover economically time and again from formidable opponents and devastating defeats. 2017-01-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/2123/18758 A Critical Analysis of Gendered Approaches to Funerary, Settlement and Public Space Archaeology in the Classical World Walker, Meggan Ruth This thesis is a critical analysis of the methods and application of gendered research in classical archaeology, with specific focus on funerary, settlement and public space archaeology. This study concentrates on the archaeological work conducted at three selected case study sites across the Mediterranean. For the funerary archaeology case study, the Pantanello Necropolis was selected, for settlement archaeology, Olynthus and for public space archaeology, the Athenian Acropolis. Through the analysis of research conducted at these sites, I intend to compare archaeological approaches to gender in classical archaeology to the rest of the discipline, with the aim of providing commentary on the past, present and future state of gendered analysis in the discipline. Gender theories began to be applied to archaeological studies on a wider scale in the 1980s, with the work of primarily Scandinavian and North American scholars. This thesis considers how gendered analysis has come into archaeology, specifically that of the classical world, and how notions of gender have changed and been changed by archaeological research. While this thesis positions itself as a critical analysis, it is intended to be a critique in the most productive sense of the word, emphasising good practices and methodologies for future elaboration and use. 2016-01-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/2123/18061 Temples, Tombs and Trees: Towards A Reconstruction of the Neolithic Temples of Malta Robinson, Madeline The Neolithic “temples” of Malta from the 7th – 5th millennia BP have been objects of curiosity for European scholarship since the 18th century. What has pre-occupied architects and been discussed by archaeologists is the structural design and the kinds of materials used to make the roofs of these huge, freestanding structures. The roofing of the apses and crossways has been lost over the four and a half thousand years since the end of the Temple Period c. 4,500 BP. The absence of any remains of roofing has led to the establishment of two primary sets of proposals – massive limestone roofs (the ‘Italian theory) or superficial timber roofs (the ‘British theory). Previous architectural reconstructions have been based on technical assumptions and not on the archaeology. The primary research aim of this thesis is to design a reconstruction that is based on archaeological evidence about the nature of the roofs, is architecturally stable and uses materials demonstrably available on a sufficient scale during the Neolithic period. While limestone is abundant on Malta, previous models of timber roofing have presumed superficial structures. Palynological analyses have shown however, that the vegetation of Malta from 7,200 BP onwards included suitable arboreal taxa such as Pinus halepensis and Quercus ilex that could have been used for temple roofing construction on a large scale. With this established, two temple designs are tested – one entirely composed of limestone, the other being a new composite design using substantial timber and limestone in the form of torba. The reconstruction is modelled from two elaborately carved burial chambers in the limestone of the hypogeum at Hal Saflieni. The carvings display a box entrance structure, two niches surrounding a portal, a large base slab and two or three stepped v beams above. These carvings are taken to be representative of the architecture of the interior doorways of the temples LiDAR models of the hypogeum chambers have been modelled onto 3D photogrammetry derived models of the remaining stone structures of the Mnajdra and Tarxien temple complexes to identify a possible format for the roof design. Though both the limestone and timber reconstructions are structurally feasible, archaeological evidence is lacking for the size and shape of the limestone slabs required by the hypogeum configuration. From a structurally feasible roof reconstruction that is consistent with the archaeology, further inferences can be made about the temples and their relationship to their environment, including how the structures were maintained and kept watertight; the structural modifications of the temples; their relationship to the ecology of Malta and whether cultural isolation did intensify towards the end of the “temple” culture, c. 4,500 BP. 2018-03-29T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/2123/17970 Deathly Depictions and Descriptions: Understanding Attic Representations of the Deceased in the Afterlife in Text and Image during the 6th and 5th Centuries BC Georgiades, Rebecca This thesis is an interdisciplinary study of Attic conceptions of the deceased in the afterlife. It thereby aims to identify and explain how the deceased were represented in a specifically selected corpus of textual and iconographic material originating from the Archaic and Classical periods. This body of evidence includes descriptions of the deceased in the afterlife in Homeric epic poetry and 5th century Athenian drama, as well as representations of the deceased in Attic vase-paintings from the 6th and 5th centuries BC. Additionally, this thesis has identified changes in the deceased’s representation between the Archaic and Classical periods. This study has focused on four prominent manifestations of the deceased in the afterlife; the psuche, eidôlon, miniature winged figures and human conscious figures. The psuche and the eidôlon are the two most frequent forms of representing the deceased in the afterlife in the textual evidence examined within this thesis. Iconographic analysis was conducted on the material evidence concerned within the thesis. Analysis revealed that the deceased in the afterlife could be portrayed as a miniature winged figure and as a conscious human figure. These forms of the deceased are present in Homer-inspired imagery as well as scenes of the prothesis, grave-visits and transitions to the afterlife. These figures feature on black-figure, red-figure and white-ground vessels. Previous scholarship has most often unified the four representations of the deceased, insisting on a correlation between miniature winged figures in art and either the psuche or eidôlon. This thesis does not attempt to unify the varying representations of the deceased and instead considers the evidence from a new perspective, focusing on the shared features across the various representations. In particular, this thesis found three significant features commonly present amongst the analysed material, namely; the deceased’s ability to fly, to interact with the living and representation of the deceased’s somber attitude. This specific research topic is highly relevant to the wider research conducted on ancient Greek conceptions of death and the afterlife. Studying the representation of death has also illuminated the challenges faced by artists, and how these were overcome, in the representation of an intangible and abstract concept in a palpable form. 2018-03-08T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/2123/17951 Human Life in Early Bronze Age I Jericho: A Study of the Fragmented Human Skeletal Remains from Tomb A61 Gaston, Amanda This Honours research thesis takes an in-depth look at the human skeletal remains from an Early Bronze Age I Jericho tomb, excavated by Kathleen Kenyon in the 1950’s. Tomb A61 contains highly fragmented and commingled human bones, and has remained unstudied until this year. A sample of the tomb has been analysed in order to study the demographics and health of the occupants. In doing so, it is not only the intention to create a picture of human life in Jericho at this time, but also tie the human skeletal remains back into the archaeology of Jericho, and the Southern Levant. The Southern Levant in the Early Bronze Age I is a region undergoing socioeconomic transition. The non-urban Chalcolithic period makes way for the fortified and walled settlements of the Early Bronze Age II. The impact of this transition on the populations of the Early Bronze Age I is so far understood from the archaeology of the architecture and artefacts from settlements and corresponding funerary structures. Yet there is little study of the human remains themselves, and the stories they can tell about the populations of the Early Bronze Age Southern Levant. This lack of study is just a branch of a greater problem, however, which is the little uniformity across the study of human remains on an international level. Issues include varying global approaches to ancient human remains in the 19th and 20th Centuries, as well as the compromised state of fragmented and commingled human remains. This osteoarchaeological study of a tomb from Jericho, which is representative of the Early Bronze Age I Southern Levant, aims to contribute to these discussions and debates, whilst providing further published data for human skeletal remains for future research. 2018-03-07T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/2123/17950 Stable Isotope Analysis in Roman Archaeology: Studies of Diet and Migration Sammut, Sammuel Stable isotope analysis has been implemented as a tool for archaeologists to investigate the past. Its use in Roman archaeology has primarily been in the examination of diet and migration, and this thesis’ aim is to examine how isotopic analysis has been applied to these research areas. Furthermore, it endeavours to investigate how the results of isotopic analysis compare with other forms of evidence for these areas of Roman life. To do so, the literary and archaeological evidence for Roman diet is considered before then being compared with the results of several isotopic analyses that have been conducted on sites across the Roman world. In the same way, evidence used to study migration is then evaluated against further isotopic studies conducted on other Roman sites. The comparisons between the established evidence and the results of isotopic analyses highlight various parallels and contradictions in interpretations of Roman diet and migration. This thesis demonstrates that the ability to support or contradict these other sources of information is isotopic analysis’ principal contribution to Roman archaeology. However, it also establishes that it is necessary for isotopic analyses to integrate archaeological and literary evidence to achieve the most comprehensive interpretations of the past. Suggestions for how isotopic analysis can reach its full potential are also discussed. 2018-03-07T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/2123/17958 Narrating Past and Present: Archaeological Sites, Heritage and a Sense of Place in Ireland Staats, Rebecca Studies of place and landscape abound in the anthropological literature. This thesis aims at synthesising archaeological and anthropological approaches to explore how archaeological sites contribute to a sense of place and national identity in the Republic of Ireland. I take a multi-sited approach to discuss three archaeological places: the Hill of Tara, a prehistoric earthwork in County Meath, the Rock of Cashel, a Medieval ecclesiastical site in Country Tipperary, and Dublin city as a commemorative place for the centenary of the 1916 Easter Rising. These sites provide a way to examine how archaeological places support intangible ideas of place that are also mediated through a phenomenological experience of tangible sites. In focusing on the way that narratives are woven into and of place, I examine how meta-narratives of the Irish nation are experienced, contested and integrated through archaeological places. In this thesis I contend that the temporal and material qualities of archaeological sites are core features that define the narratives told of place, and that narrative and place are mutually constitutive, each structuring the experience of the other. 2018-03-08T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/2123/17954 Feeding the Confined: A Faunal Analysis of Hyde Park Barracks Connor, Kimberley This thesis presents the results of faunal analysis and historical research in order to understand the diet of the women who lived in the Immigration Depot (1848–1886) and the Destitute Asylum (1862–1886) at Hyde Park Barracks in Sydney, NSW. The faunal analysis included the examination of 5,436 specimens from the main building and trenches in the area of the kitchen. It focuses on three main areas: the variety of taxa in the assemblages, the distribution of taxa across the site, and the relative lack of Bos taurus bones. While many of the results supported the documentary record, such as the predominance of mutton consumed on the site, areas of dissonance are resolved through careful consideration of the two sources. This combination of archaeozoological and documentary evidence to argue that the diet was sufficient for sustaining life, but monotonous and poorly adapted to the needs of the women in the Destitute Asylum who lived there for long periods. This was not the result of a policy decision to punish or control the inmates, as may have been the case in other institutional settings, but rather the use of dietaries based on those designed for sailors and convicts. Institutions today continue to struggle with the same questions that were at the for in the 19th century – how can we feed people as cheaply as possible? Should the diet be part of the punishment or reform effort? Do people have a right to a basic quantity and quality of food? What role does nutrition play in the dietary? As well as adding to the growing literature on institutional diets and the archaeology of institutions in Australia, this study suggests that there are parallels between historical and modern institutional diets. The results show that a lack of official planning can damaging, even when punishment is not intended. 2018-03-08T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/2123/17957 The Eyes Have It: An In-Depth Study of the Tell Brak Eye Idols in the 4th Millennium BCE: with a primary focus on function and meaning Cooper, Arabella Age has often been mistaken as an indication of simplicity in design, style and artistic technique in artefacts, but this is not the case when applied to the Eye-Idols from Tell Brak. Eye-Idols were first discovered by Professor M.E.L Mallowan during the 1937 and 1938 spring excavations of Tell Brak in north Syria. The Eye-Idols have been dated to the Early to Middle Northern Uruk period. They were found mainly in the Grey Eye-Temple Complex, which gained its name from these unique artefacts found in large numbers within. They appear to have been offerings deposited in a procedure of ritual discard, but the true meaning, function and cultic value of these unusual artefacts remains elusive and undetermined. In his original 1947 Excavation Report, Mallowan describes the discovery of thousands of Eye-Idols in an assortment of sizes and designs, but today the location of only a small number is known. Only on the most superficial level is the artefact type an example of a simple or basic design; instead they are purposely abstract and simple in their stylised representation of what is a possible human form. There is extensive archaeological evidence across northern and southern Mesopotamia from the Late Chalcolithic and into the Uruk period showing that artisans had the artistic and technical ability to construct and reproduce accurate and detailed examples of the human figure and face, but in the case of the Eye-Idols, the choice of simplicity is clearly deliberate. This study undertakes a more thorough analysis of the artefact type through the utilisation of scholarly texts, museum collections, recent excavations in Northern Mesopotamia and a hands-on study of the Nicholson Museum’s Collection of Eye-Idols. This has been done to better understand the value, meaning and importance of these small, apparently unassuming, but nevertheless complex artefacts, and the insights they reveal about those who created and used them. 2018-03-08T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/2123/17959 Hunter-gatherer economies along the Newcastle coastline: An analysis of a shell midden site from the Late Holocene Birubi, New South Wales Sheppard Brennand, Megan Until relatively recently, shell middens have been overlooked as culturally rich sites that can inform archaeologists on many aspects of the past. In depth analyses of all features of a site are needed in order to gain an understanding of the people who created them. Analyses that examine both the ecological and economic aspects of sites through the use of quantitative data have been promoted via detailed research of coastal shell deposits in South Africa and California. Although the application of this type of approach has not been as widespread in southeast Australia, the foundational work on which to build more detailed coastal archaeological research and midden analysis comes from Attenbrow (Attenbrow 1993, 1995, 2010a, 2010c, 2011) and Sullivan (Sullivan 1982, 1984, 1987).This thesis, through a holistic and methodical approach, seeks to provide a material based analysis of hunter-gatherer interactions with the environment along the NSW coastline during the late Holocene. The case study of the Birubi shell midden is located near Port Stephens in NSW and was systematically excavated and recorded by Prof. Len Dyall (then of the University of Newcastle) in the 1970s. The results from the quantitative analysis undertaken in this thesis demonstrate that the hunter-gatherers of Birubi sustained a diverse coastal economy. This thesis aims to provide a dataset, following the framework of Sullivan and Attenbrow, which can be used alongside other similar studies in order to build up a more comprehensive understanding of subsistence economies along the NSW coastline in the Holocene. 2018-03-08T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/2123/17945 Ethnicity in Archaeology: A case for Khirbet Kerak Ware in the Southern Levant Zaid, Sareeta Archaeological studies of ethnicity and identity have gained increasing momentum in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. This thesis is a critical examination of differing approaches to the interpretation of material culture in the detection of sociocultural identities. Theorisation in this field has often occurred in lieu of developing practical frameworks of analysis that are applicable to the material record. The lack of clarity arising from recurrent use of subjective concepts such as „ethnic identity‟ and „archaeological subject‟ without adequately defining these terms further hinders such studies. Instead, transparency and holism are paramount in considering archaeological identities due to the influential nature of the contexts in which the researcher and research subject are situated. This approach is particularly pertinent in the study of Khirbet Kerak Ware, a handmade and highly burnished red/ black ceramic occurring in a core morphological range in the Early Bronze III Southern Levant. Khirbet Kerak Ware differs in typology, decoration and manufacturing technique from other Southern Levantine pottery and does not demonstrate ceramic development in this region, indicating its foreign nature. Accordingly, trade, diffusion and migration have been proposed as possible mechanisms for the dissemination of Khirbet Kerak Ware. In particular, strong parallels have been noted between Khirbet Kerak Ware and the Kura-Araxes cultural complex of Anatolia and the Transcaucasus. This thesis provides insight into the Khirbet Kerak Ware phenomenon by investigating its origins and role within Southern Levantine society in a situational approach that aims to overcome many of the shortcomings of previous studies into archaeological ethnicity. 2016-01-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/2123/14707 By the Sad and Mournful Sea: Mortuary Memorialisation in the Quarantine Context Janson, Sarah The concept and processes of quarantine are shaped by changing medical theory and ideology concerning the causes, spread and methods for curtailing infectious disease. North Head Quarantine Station in Manly, New South Wales is one of the oldest quarantine facilities in Australia, operating from the 1830s until 1984 and its associated Third Cemetery is the material manifestation of one of the possible outcomes from the processes of quarantine; the occurrence of death. This thesis is therefore concerned with exploring whether the specific circumstances and liminal nature of the quarantine experience affects patterns of mortuary memorialisation and commemoration at this site. A recording of 68 grave markers at the Third Cemetery and 68 grave markers at Manly Cemetery has been undertaken. Spatial, temporal, material and inscription content analysis have been applied to the recorded data in order to compare and contrast patterns in memorialisation. Further juxtaposition between historical attitudes and practices concerning death and dying has been explored. The results have been considered in light of a theoretical body whereby it has been argued the quarantine experience displays elements of the liminal period in a rite de passage (van Gennep 1960, Turner 1987). This model entails a tripartite structure of a subject’s separation from mainstream society, an in-between or liminal stage whilst in quarantine and reincorporation; into society. By comparing the two sites in light of this framework, the data show similarity in material fabric and style but clear difference in spatial patterns of memorialisation as well as variation in language, the temporal use of the sites and size and complexity of monuments. A dissonance with the historical accounts of death and dying in Australia in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries was revealed. The unique circumstances and ideologies of quarantine and the liminal nature of its processes therefore have had an effect on the types and patterns of memorialisation and commemoration at these sites, both constraining and liberating memorialising activity at the unique Third Cemetery site. Consequently, this research has implications for analysis of cemeteries in other liminal institutional contexts such as hospitals, sanatoria and asylums. 2015-01-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/2123/14027 Stone, Sources and Social Networks: Tracing Movement and Exchange Across Dharawal Country, Southeastern Australia Stokes, Karen Elizabeth Historical evidence suggests that at the time of European settlement in the NSW Illawarra region, Dharawal groups, who came together for ceremonies, had an established regional network with movement of people, and items, via pathways linking the highlands west of the Illawarra escarpment and the coastal plain. The degree to which the established network described in European accounts reflects pre-colonial patterns or activity affected by early colonial settlement is unclear, however. This thesis examines this topic by comparing archaeological and historical evidence. Ground edged hatchets, and raw material for their manufacture, are known to have moved within Aboriginal social networks and several sites in the Dharawal region have been identified as likely sources of stone for hatchets and other tools. Non-destructive archaeological provenancing of 148 ground edged hatchets from coastal plain and inland findspots in and adjacent to the Dharawal study area provides an opportunity to characterise pre-colonial patterns of raw material use, and movement of artefacts from source to find-spot. Matches to sources within Dharawal country, as well as beyond the region, trace the local and inter-regional social network within which these artefacts and/or raw materials moved. This provenancing research is a component of a broader, Australian Research Council funded, study of Aboriginal exchange systems and social networks in Southeastern Australia 2012-14: Axes, Exchange, Social Change: New Perspectives on Australian Hunter Gatherers (DP12010393), directed by Peter Grave (University of New England) and Val Attenbrow (Australian Museum). Spatial reconstruction of Early European observations of movement and gathering of Aboriginal people across, and into and out of Dharawal country between 1788 and 1850, allows archaeological and historical social network patterns to be directly compared. Results suggest significant correlation between the two, as well as consistency in the historical pattern over time. This evidence suggests pathways linking Dharawal groups socially and economically, in place prior to the arrival of Europeans, continued to be used throughout the first fifty years of European colonisation. These results that support and enhance previous research findings in the region. Evidence that this cultural pattern may have remained stable through a period of known social upheaval suggests that the network of pathways interconnecting Dharawal groups, pathways aligned with the distinctive physiography of country, may have also been stable through earlier times of change. If so, this may also shed light on the nature, and function, of this network in the culturally, socially and environmentally dynamic, deeper past. 2015-01-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/2123/10180 What Village Are You From? An Archaeology of Objects and Identity in the Australian Lebanese Community. Abboud, Mariam Vivienne 2013-01-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/2123/10173 Consumption and Convicts: Faunal Analysis from the Port Arthur Prisoner Barracks Hamilton, Chloe This thesis will present a zooarchaeological analysis of the faunal remains excavated from the Port Arthur Prisoner Barracks in 1977. Originally constructed in 1830 following the establishment of the Port Arthur Penal Settlement, the Prisoner Barracks were continually occupied throughout the convict period, spanning 1830 – 1877. This thesis will examine both the faunal remains and the historical record to examine the evolution of subsistence practices at Port Arthur and within the broader network of probation stations upon Tasman’s Peninsula. 2013-01-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/2123/10181 Early Japanese Urbanism: A Study of the Urbanism of Proto-historic Japan and Continuities from the Yayoi to the Asuka Periods. Brooks, Timothy The way in which Japanese archaeologists and historians see their past has created two separate systems of periodization causing many issues for dating certain material of the same age. As a consequence of the retro-projection of present day social and political perspectives onto the past, the sequence has become fragmented. Part of the issue lies in assumptions about the nature of urbanism and the state, stemming from the Japanese model of urbanism. This is tied directly to the influence of Chinese grid style cities used as capital cities from the late 7th century onwards. Before this, other different forms of "capital" can be identified, for example in the Asuka and Naniwa areas, associated with the initial formation of the state. The Asuka area in particular was the residence of elites and the location of local crafts, associated with shrine and tombs spread out over a wide area. This may therefore be an example of a low-density dispersed urban environment. The thesis aims to demonstrate that this is the case. 2013-01-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/2123/10182 Perfume Vessels in South-East Italy: A comparative analysis of Perfume Vessels in Greek and Indigenous Italian Burials from the 6th to 4th Centuries B.C. McManis, Amanda To date there has been a broad range of research investigating both perfume use in the Mediterranean and the cultural development of south-east Italy. The use of perfume was clearly an important practice in the broader Mediterranean, however very little is known about its introduction to the indigenous Italians and its subsequent use. There has also been considerable theorising about the nature of the cross-cultural relationship between the Greeks and the indigenous Italians, but there is a need for archaeological studies to substantiate or refute these theories. This thesis therefore aims to make a relevant contribution through a synthesis of these areas of study by producing a preliminary investigation of the use of perfume vessels in south-east Italy. The assimilation of perfume use into indigenous Italian culture was a result of their contact with the Greek settlers in south-east Italy, however the ways in which perfume vessels were incorporated into indigenous Italian use have not been systematically studied. This thesis will examine the use of perfume vessels in indigenous Italian burials in the regions of Peucetia and Messapia and compare this use with that of the burials at the nearby Greek settlement of Metaponto. The material studied will consist of burials from the sixth to fourth centuries B.C., to enable an analysis of perfume use and social change over time. An analysis of the broad distribution of perfume vessels was undertaken, followed by a more detailed examination of the relationships between perfume vessels and specific burial features. An interpretation of the results given by these analyses proposes that the use of perfume vessels by indigenous Italians was closely connected to developments in their settlement centralisation and social structure, and became a well integrated aspect of burial ritual by the end of the fourth century B.C. 2013-01-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/2123/10175 The Celtic Question Donnelly, Harriet The identity of the “Celts” has played an integral role in the understanding of the Iron Age and the more recent socio-political history of Europe. However, the terminology and attitudes which have been in place since the 19th century have created a field of research characterised by assumptions about a ‘people’ and a culture. Study of the “Celts” has been conducted in three main areas - genetics, linguistics and material culture from the archaeological record. Through the reassessment of these three fields, substantial divergence in the patterns and trends, as well as the highly regional nature of the evidence has been revealed within the vast interconnected trade and communication network that developed in Iron Age Europe. As a result the unitary phenomenon identified under the term “Celts” is actually that network. “Celtic” should be redefined as the label for that trade and communication network, not as a label for a group, culture or people, enabling the establishment of new identities for the regional populations of the European Iron Age. 2013-01-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/2123/10174 The Value of the Past: Minoan and Minoanizing Larnakes at the Knossos North Cemetery Barron, Aleese The main focus of this thesis is the collection of at least seventeen larnakes or clay coffins found at the Knossos North Cemetery site on Crete. The site was uncovered as a result of one period of salvage excavations in 1978 that revealed an expansive necropolis of material dating from all periods between the Subminoan and Late Orientalising periods or approximately 1100BC to 600BC. The presence of larnakes was of particular interest as they have historically been considered a prototypical Minoan shape restricted to the Bronze Age on Crete. Sixteen of the larnakes proved to be examples of Early Iron Age people reusing and recontextualising Bronze Age larnakes at least two hundred years after their manufacture while the other is the only known example of a Geometric style copy of a larnax shape. This thesis, by a comparison of the intended contexts for the larnakes in Late Bronze Age burials, with their burial contexts at the Knossos North Cemetery shows that the use of the larnakes differed greatly between the two and therefore it would seem likely that their meaning did as well. On closer inspection larnakes were most popular on Crete between 1500-1200BC when the evidence suggests that Crete was undergoing a period of political and social turmoil, possibly as the result of an influx of outsiders. The iconography on larnakes suggests a mixture of both new and old techniques and images on the same vessels to signify links to both tradition and innovation all at once. The KNC larnakes, along with a small number of other Minoan finds and influences at the site, suggest the people of later generations were once again using the larnakes to suggest strong links to the local past alongside more contemporary burial practices. In both cases, larnakes were used to strengthen and legitimate status, for the small, possibly family, groups represented in the tombs. 2013-01-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/2123/10172 Authority, Acquisition and Adaptation: Nineteenth century artefacts of personal consumption from the Prisoner Barracks at Port Arthur Dircks, Caitlin Historical archaeology in Australia has countless artefact assemblages awaiting research and analysis. This thesis is the study of one such collection; the artefacts of personal consumption recovered during the first archaeological excavation at Port Arthur. The site was the Prisoner Barracks and was excavated in 1977 by Maureen Byrne and a team of volunteers but was never fully analysed due to Byrne's sad death the same year. The assemblage, with all artefacts excluding the faunal material, has been catalogued and analysed for this thesis. The results present an interpretation of the assemblage, considering personal consumption and the effects of hierarchy on the general ways of life of the occupants. This thesis uses archaeological and documentary evidence to build on the understanding of the site's history. It explores who the occupants were; privileged convicts in the early phases, and military regiments, constables or officers and their families in the later phases of the nineteenth century. Through the artefact analysis, everyday life is examined, revealing how consumption was a combination of occupants adapting to make do and also reaching supplies beyond the settlement's confines. The physical and institutional isolation added complexity to the acquisition and consumption of goods, while these elements of the site also changed over time. By exploring the potential of the site and collection, this thesis also establishes the assemblage for further research involving larger scale comparisons. 2013-01-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/2123/10176 Exploring interconnectivity and similarity in the rune-stones of 10th-12th century Sweden Thoeming, Alix What began as a study of difference in the 10th-12th century rune-stones of Sweden has become a case study in homogeneity. These ‘close-knit’ people as described by Olrik in 1930 (:4) were much more interconnected than the current literature generally suggests, and clearly had communication networks running the length and breadth of settled Sweden. A result of the trade and wealth that characterised pre-Medieval Sweden, the rune-stones illustrate just how small and intertwined the world of the Scandinavians actually was. They suggest an interconnectivity that is now only just beginning to be recognised. The initial rapid proliferation of a small, highly integrated tradition that then contracted to the Mälaren Valley may be indicative of a society at a cultural ‘crossroads’, caught between the traditions of the past and the consequences of trade. 2013-01-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/2123/8891 An Insight into Life at Geometric Zagora Provided by the Animal Bones Alagich, Rudolph This thesis is a study of the animal bone distribution at the Geometric period settlement of Zagora (ca. 850-700 BC), on the island of Andros. The animal bones were excavated during the 1967-74 University of Sydney excavations and analysed in 1977 by a specialist who compiled a report of her findings. The report is currently in preparation for publication and is the primary source for this thesis. The data it provided was limited but enough could be extracted to identify patterns that permitted a tentative reconstruction of social life and the economy at Zagora. There is a paucity of excavated settlements from the Greek EIA and few of these have published faunal material, an essential element in reconstructing past lifeways. Those preserved settlements from which animal bones have been published are not extensive with good domestic contexts but usually sites of minimal extent. Hence, it has not been possible to conduct an analysis of the spatial distribution of animal bones from such a settlement. Zagora, being an extensive settlement containing mainly domestic structures, is therefore unique and the animal bone report provided the opportunity for such a study to be undertaken. A number of analyses were performed using both statistical and non-statistical methods. Through these it was discovered that there is a relationship between the animal size and the size of the architectural unit within which it was found. Similarly, there appeared to be a relationship between larger architecture and the presence of fish, postulated as being a pelagic species. The patterns observed were interpreted as evidence of ‘special’ meals with a larger than usual number of diners in attendance and hence the need for a larger space to host them. Using the animal bones’ distribution and architectural evidence it is proposed that feasting was an important event at Zagora, conducted at the household level to possibly reinforce bonds of kinship and friendship. The evidence also suggests that the H area could have been inhabited by people of better means than elsewhere in the settlement, particularly by the hypaethral sanctuary. Ideally the animal bones would have been studied in conjunction with associated artefacts, but this was not possible and so this would be something desirable to be performed in the near future. With 21st century excavation techniques, the future Zagora excavations should provide greater granularity in the faunal information obtained from the settlement to allow better precision in subsequent analyses. 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/2123/8893 Bronze “Bathtub” Coffins In the Context of 8th-6th Century B.C.E. Babylonian, Assyrian and Elamite Funerary Practices Wicks, Yasmina Central to this thesis are a small number of unique bronze “bathtub” coffins found in 8th–6th century B.C.E. Babylonian, Assyrian and Elamite burial contexts. These fascinating burial containers have not previously been subject to an in-depth analysis, but rather have been treated by archaeologists as little more than convenient receptacles for a body and numerous precious objects deemed more worthy of scholarly interest. This thesis takes the opportunity to narrow this gap in scholarship, by firstly drawing together the available evidence for the excavated coffins, investigating the method and place of their manufacture, and establishing a possible date range for their production and use. Then, to progress towards an understanding of the bronze “bathtub” coffin burials within the broader context of regional funerary practices, they are incorporated into an analysis of Neo-Babylonian, Neo-Assyrian and Neo-Elamite mortuary evidence, with a particular focus on burial typology, grave goods and burial location. The use of the bronze “bathtubs” as burial receptacles also demands that they be viewed in light of Mesopotamian and Elamite beliefs about what happens to people upon their death, and what the funerary ritual should involve. This thesis therefore explores the coffins in the context of these beliefs and then, building upon this analysis, considers possible ideological aspects of the coffins with emphasis on motifs, form and material, and why these may have been appropriate in a burial context. Underpinning this study is the principle that mortuary evidence is the product of intentional behaviour and that the bronze coffins, and indeed all burial containers, were not simply incidental to the funerary process. Instead they represent a deliberate choice by the burying group and each would have been the central feature of an emotionally and symbolically charged burial act. One feature of the bronze coffin burials that emerges throughout much of the analysis is their undeniable role in the expression, or even construction, of social rank. This role is consistent across all of the burials, which evidently belonged to individuals (or burying groups) of extremely high-status (measured by wealth). Based on the understanding that the bronze “bathtubs” were used in the construction and maintenance of socio-cultural ideology in Babylonia, Assyria and Elam, the known historical interaction between these three cultures is examined in the final section of the thesis, with a view to establishing the extent to which the coffins can be considered as belonging to a shared funerary practice. 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/2123/8291 The End of Angkor? The Modification and Re-use of Angkor Wat Brotherson, David John Angkor Wat, the largest religious monument in the world, was built in the mid 12th century AD and has been continuously occupied ever since. Angkor Wat was the jewel in the crown of Greater Angkor, the capital of the Khmer Empire. Over 800 years have passed since its construction and during this long period the context of Angkor Wat and Greater Angkor has changed significantly. Once the capital of the Khmer Empire, in the 15th and 16th centuries as the apparatus of the state moved to the Southeast, Greater Angkor came to be on the periphery of the Khmer world. In a similar manner, as Khmer society changed, the originally Vaisnavite temple Angkor Wat came to be hallowed by Theravada Buddhist monks. Throughout these political and social changes Angkor Wat itself has changed – the temple features modifications which postdate the original construction phase. The fourth enclosure wall is one such component which has undergone several modifications. The wall, which clearly demonstrates more than one construction phase, is covered in several thousand postholes. The postholes, which are located along the upper part of the inside face and on top of the wall, have never been studied before. This thesis seeks to answer two questions: 1) What was the purpose of the postholes?, and 2) When were the postholes made? To answer these questions the postholes were surveyed. The results of a detailed survey show that the distribution of and relationship between the postholes is consistent over a considerable distance. The relationship between the postholes and the construction phases of the wall establishes a relative chronology. The nature of the modifications to the wall and the location of the postholes indicate that they were supports for the framework of a defensive platform and palisade. The absolute date of these defensive works is as yet unknown, however the likely historical context suggests they were installed sometime between the late 16th century and the early 17th century AD. 2011-12-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/2123/7954 Aboriginal Glass Artefacts of the Sydney Region Goward, Tamika Aboriginal glass artefacts (AGAs) have become the ‘type fossil’ for recognizing post-contact sites in countries with colonial pasts. Whether such reliance on AGAs is a valid development is contentious as the identification of these artefacts is ambiguous. This uncertainty is amplified in densely populated urban environments such as Sydney. This thesis addresses the identification of these artefacts within this region. Technological characteristics of Sydney’s AGAs and methodological issues in the recording of these artefacts have been analysed. A review of the patterns within this data has revealed how the identification issue has been managed in the past and how it may be improved. A review and evaluation of previous ‘criteria for identification’ has also revealed a refined approach to the identification and categorization of AGAs within Sydney and beyond. Also, cross-cultural interactions have been characterized as affected by the unique and diverse nature of the moving frontier in this region. 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/2123/7955 Housing the Worker Jones, Laura The industrialization of Sydney and the increasing prevalence of factories in the city centre and outer suburbs from the mid-nineteenth century meant that worker housing was in high demand. The opportunity to capitalize on this need for housing was taken up by many entrepreneurs, known as speculators. The industrial landscapes, which were created, as a result were in no way planned, but a case of the material and social processes interacting. In the study area of the Balmain Peninsula in Sydney, the construction of worker housing was not under the control of one individual, in contrast to many company towns. The purpose of the thesis is to examine the relationship between social processes and the material by examining the extant houses on the Balmain Peninsula. The aims of this thesis are to examine the nature of piecemeal housing and the degree of standardization in worker housing. The changing building strategies used in order to capitalize on the demand for worker housing will also be considered. The results of the survey were compared to three equivalent urban areas of Sydney; The Rocks, Pyrmont and Haymarket. The results of the survey of worker housing on the Balmain Peninsula indicated very little standardization, which is a direct result of the degree of speculative building. The material of existing buildings and the landscape had a major influence on the direction of future development, which ultimately led to a piecemeal environment, as depicted by contrasting building phases built beside each other. There was an obvious change in the way worker housing was constructed from the mid nineteenth century to early twentieth century, as shown by the introduction of building strategies in order iii to build more densely. Industrial urban landscapes in Sydney were not planned and the intent of speculative builders was not aimed at a particular pattern of daily life. The creation of the urban landscapes was rather the product of a number of factors including the pursuit of capital investment, macro-economic processes and the constraints exerted by the material itself. 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/2123/7957 The Foundations of Madness: The role of the built environment in the mental institutions of New South Wales Longhurst, Peta Institutionalisation has been a widespread and accepted response to insanity since the eighteenth century. These institutions were highly ideological, and the psychiatric theory that informed them was inextricably bound up with notions of the ‘ideal’ built environment that they should inhabit. However, both psychiatric theory and government policy and legislation were constantly changing and evolving, calling into question the claim that the built environment truly reflected these social elements. Understanding the role of the built environment in the function and dysfunction of mental institutions is therefore the central concern of this dissertation. Comparative analysis of four New South Wales mental institutions, those located at Gladesville, Parramatta, Callan Park and Kenmore, has been undertaken. The juxtaposition of the development of these institutions with the development of psychiatric theory and mental health legislation reveals that the social and material components of the institutions did not correspond, causing dissonance. A theoretical framework for understanding this dissonance has been drawn from the work of Fletcher (1995, 2002, 2004) and Gieryn (2002) and characterises the built environment as an actor without intent. The built environment is shown to constrain both the function of the mental institution and the behaviour of its inhabitants. Examination of the data presented by the four case studies shows several responses to dissonance and its constraints. While the way these processes manifest at the four institutions varied, they were nevertheless the same processes. The institutions were modified both materially and discursively in order to allow them to function, albeit not in the way envisaged by psychiatric theory. However, as that theory continued to evolve, the resulting dissonance could no longer be mitigated against, leading to the eventual abandonment of the institutions. 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/2123/7958 THE SB-4-6 SHELL MIDDEN ASSEMBLAGE: A SHELL MIDDEN ANALYSIS FROM A LATE PREHISTORIC VILLAGE SITE AT PAMUA ON MAKIRA, SOUTHEAST SOLOMON ISLANDS Virgin, Karyn This thesis details the methodology, results and interpretations of analysis that was conducted on a shell midden assemblage from Pamua on the island of Makira, Southeast Solomon Islands. This midden was excavated from site SB-4-6 also known as the Mwanihuki village site, on the north coast of Makira in 1975 as part of the Southeast Solomon Islands Culture History Project (SESP). This analysis was able to generate a large dataset, through which the temporal and spatial use of site SB-4-6 could be determined, with peak periods and areas of intensified use apparent. Additionally, the foraging behaviours and subsistence strategies behind the midden’s deposition were able to be interpreted as a distinct mixture of opportunistic and targeted foraging, which was largely dependent on the surrounding environment. The research presented in this thesis has therefore addressed a major gap in the archaeological record. The results of analysis that have been presented in this thesis are representative of the first comprehensive shell midden investigation to be undertaken at a late prehistoric site in the Southeast Solomon Islands. Consequently, this thesis and the results it presents can provide the starting point for future investigations of other midden assemblages within the study area. 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/2123/7959 The Lydion: Revealing Connectivity across the Mediterranean in the Sixth Century B.C. Wrigley, Susan The Archaic period was a period of great change around the Mediterranean: population growth, urbanization and colonization all contributed to the overturning of existing social and political structures. Growth in commercial trade, especially during the sixth century B.C., accompanied these changes. It is argued in this thesis that by mapping the production, distribution and consumption of a particular object, the ceramic unguent container called the lydion, we can follow some of the strands of connectivity and knowledge that linked many culturally diverse regions during the sixth century B.C. By using this information to write a social history of the lydion which describes the evolving social and the economic role of the vessel as it passed from hand to hand, we would be able to provide new evidence towards the ongoing debate about the form and scale of trade and exchange in the Archaic period. The lydion was a distinctively shaped vessel that was indigenous to Lydia in Asia Minor, and its use was largely restricted to the sixth century B.C., yet it was imported and then imitated at a range of culturally diverse sites. It had both a social role, as a luxury that was used as part of funerary and religious ritual, and an economic role, as the container for a commodity that was distributed and consumed across the Mediterranean. In order to establish the basis for this argument, the main themes of the debate about trade and exchange during the Archaic period are discussed. Past scholarship relating to the lydion is compared to the evidence, and it becomes clear that several oft repeated beliefs about where particular types of lydia were produced should be revisited. A new study must necessarily begin with a full mapping of distribution and the development of a typology and chronology for the lydion. Studies of the production and consumption of perfumes in the Bronze Age and the Early Iron Age provide useful comparative evidence. Two case studies are presented here: Sardis in Lydia, where the lydion was first used, and Etruria, where the shape was imported and then imitated. These studies reveal that the lydion was used in different ways at each site: at Sardis it was found in both settlement and burial contexts, but Etruria it has been found in burials and in votive deposits. These regions share the banquet as the central theme of burial assemblages, complicating the interpretation of the role of the lydion. In order to understand the range of evidence available for such a study and to provide a resource for this thesis, a digital catalogue of lydia was created which can be queried according to the requirements of the user. The lydion is proven to be an ideal vehicle for the analysis of social and economic history; this thesis should be read as a prolegomenon to such a study. 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/2123/7956 Memorial Markings: A study of the change over time to fonts at the Manly Quarantine station and Rookwood Cemetery Andrews, Rebecca This thesis analyses the changes in font styles used in the historical inscriptions at the Manly Quarantine Station and Rookwood Cemetery. The changes to the fonts used at each site will be compared to the changes to fonts in other areas of society, such as printed typography and handwriting. The analysis of this change is considered to be important as the changes in font can be linked to the changes in social values, aesthetic tastes and technological development. Despite the topics potential to yield this information, studies of font change are rarely the main topic of a study. Font change is usually used as a tool for other research or is only a very small section of a larger analysis. The methods used in this thesis are those which were first used on rock art assemblages, as change over time is an important topic of study in this area. These methods have since been used to study assemblages of historical inscriptions and graffiti. As the data from both sites had dates inscribed into the writing, a study of the change over time was possible with a reasonable degree of accuracy and ease. The data from the Manly Quarantine Station was collected from Wendy Thorp’s 1983 consultancy report cataloguing the inscriptions at the site. Only the inscriptions with dates which were legible to the decade were recorded, creating a sample of 164 inscriptions. The data from Rookwood Cemetery was collected for this study by a survey of the graveyard. A sample of ten gravestones from each decade between, and inclusive of, 1860 and 1970 was collected. The data from each site was then analysed individually. The results from each site were compared with each other and with the changes to the fonts in printed media and the preferred style of handwriting that was being taught over the same time period. There were changes identified at both sites. The attributes of the fonts which showed change at both sites included the use of serifs and the technique for the creation of the inscriptions. Each of these changes was different at both sites. The capitalisation of the inscriptions as a whole did not change over time at either site. The inscriptions at the Manly Quarantine Station had a positive correlation with both the changes to printed media and the changes to the methods and styles of handwriting which was being taught at schools. The inscriptions from Rookwood Cemetery have not linked with the changed to printed media or handwriting educational practice, meaning that other influences on font change are present at the site. 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/2123/7961 STONE OR METAL? DIAGNOSING THE MATERIAL AGENT OF EARLY BRONZE AGE CUT MARKS FROM LERNA, GREECE Jones, Rebecca This dissertation examines cut marks on animal bone from Early Bronze Age Lerna in Greece to determine the material agent; a stone or metal tool. An experimental group of cut marks was produced to compare to the Lerna material. Both materials were analysed using a method yet to be used for cut mark studies, Micro-CT. Micro-CT was assessed whether it is an appropriate method for diagnosing cut marks on bone by comparing the results to SEM and light microscopy. In diagnosing the cut mark it was hypothesised that the profile and surface features will be important factors based on previous research (Walker and Long, 1977, Potts and Shipman, 1981, Greenfield, 1999, 2002, 2006). This study found that Micro-CT is excellent for showing the profile of a cut mark but not detailed surface features. Micro-CT also portrayed how the profile could vary, even within a single cut. For these reasons it was found profile alone is not enough to diagnose a cut mark and surface features are equally important. It was also found that comparing SEM, light microscopy, and Micro-CT was extremely beneficial as each technique has strengths and weaknesses. In regard to the Lerna material, it was found that three cut marks are almost certainly from stone tools and two cut marks are probably from metal tools. The findings add to evidence for the Bronze Age being a transitory period between stone and metal technologies. 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/2123/7953 Material Matters: The Moral Imperative for a Large‐Scale Perspective within the Archaeology of the Contemporary Past. Dharmendra, Ben Over the past decade, the archaeology of the contemporary past has become an established sub-field within archaeology. Yet, the overwhelming majority of research conducted within this sub-field is concerned with the study of immaterial social meanings that humans ascribe to materiality. The consequences of material as a physical entity are ignored. Although some contemporary archaeologists have sought to examine what the material does, they have been hindered by an emphasis on small-scale, synchronic approaches to research. The aim of this thesis is to argue that the archaeology of the contemporary past should incorporate an alternative approach to conducting investigations into contemporary materiality. I seek to show that the research of meta-categories of materiality, such as garbage, urbanism, weaponry and industry, fit within the current concern of contemporary archaeology to undertake a morally engaged archaeological practice. The moral imperative to investigate entire categories of materiality stems from the fact that the material component of community life generates its own outcomes. These outcomes are necessary for us to comprehend as fully as possible if we are to have any chance to avoid the negative consequences with which they are associated. Because of this large-scale investigations of contemporary are a necessary undertaking for contemporary archaeology. 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z