Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/20555
Title: Untangling time-averaging in shell middens: Defining temporal units using amino acid racemisation
Contributor(s): Koppel, Brent (author); Szabo, Katherine (author); Moore, Mark  (author)orcid ; Morwood, Michael J  (author)
Publication Date: 2016
DOI: 10.1016/j.jasrep.2015.08.040
Handle Link: https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/20555
Abstract: Time-averaging is a process that affects almost every form of archaeological deposit. The conflation of two or more units from different time periods masks the true temporal span of units which is hidden by postdepositional processes. The implications of this are obvious as archaeological material found in close stratigraphic association may differ in age by hundreds or thousands of years. Some sites have a greater tendency towards the effects of time-averaging, with shell middens being one of the more susceptible. Conventional approaches to midden excavation or analysis, however, do little to tackle the issue of time-averaging. Using amino acid racemisation (AAR), an intensive relative dating programme was undertaken on shell midden excavated from a potentially time-averaged midden deposit. This approach revealed temporally distinct units that had been con flated into one deposit resulting in shell specimens temporally separated by up to 6000 years being found in close stratigraphic association. The application of AAR allowed us to define the temporal parameters of the various comingled deposits, and in doing so isolate temporal units which showed very different depositional patterns. These contrasting units imply different depositional behaviours and in turn changes in site use through time. This new application of AAR offers a way to approach shell midden archaeology to expose instances and repercussions of time-averaging that were previously hidden.
Publication Type: Journal Article
Source of Publication: Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, v.7, p. 741-750
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Place of Publication: Netherlands
ISSN: 2352-4103
2352-409X
Fields of Research (FoR) 2008: 210102 Archaeological Science
210101 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Archaeology
Fields of Research (FoR) 2020: 450102 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artefacts
430101 Archaeological science
450101 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander archaeology
Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2008: 950503 Understanding Australia's Past
Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2020: 130703 Understanding Australia’s past
280113 Expanding knowledge in history, heritage and archaeology
280114 Expanding knowledge in Indigenous studies
Peer Reviewed: Yes
HERDC Category Description: C1 Refereed Article in a Scholarly Journal
Appears in Collections:Journal Article

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