Shifting Palaeoeconomies in the East Alligator River Region: An Archaeomalacological Analysis

Abstract

The Alligator River Region, located in Northern Australia, has undergone considerable environmental change throughout the Pleistocene and Holocene. Rising sea-levels, and changing climatic conditions drastically altered the environments and ecosystems of this region, forcing its inhabitants to adapt their economic strategies in order to successfully exploit these new and evolving landscapes. Throughout these changing environmental sequences molluscs have played an important role in the economic activities of people, as demonstrated by the abundance of molluscan material found in sites throughout the region. While there has been a substantial amount of archaeological research conducted in the Alligator Rivers Region, molluscs have rarely been the focus of these studies. This has resulted in poor understandings of the economic role of this resource in the Alligator Rivers Region. Given that molluscs can provide critical information on both past economic and social activities, and environmental and palaeoclimatic conditions, this gap in the current literature is one which must be addressed. Using a combination of current zooarchaeological methods, including the collection of biological and ecological information, this thesis demonstrates that molluscs were a staple food source for people occupying this region throughout the Holocene. More importantly, however, is that the incorporation of ecological and biological data for both molluscs and their associated environments has allowed for the intricacies of long-term adaptations to new and evolving environments to be explored at much higher resolution. Ultimately, this research highlights the benefits of using a multifaceted and holistic approach to midden analyses, showcasing how this can lead to far more in-depth understandings of the past.