Two starkly different research projects at East Gippsland's Cloggs Cave, 50 years apart, show the importance of Indigenous perspectives in archaeology.
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Articles on Archaeology
Displaying 1 - 20 of 308 articles
Recent archaeological studies suggest that early Christians were identifying important sites as little as a century after the last of the gospels.
Archaeologists used to dig primarily at sites that were easy to find thanks to obvious visual clues. But technology – and listening to local people – plays a much bigger role now.
A war with Neanderthals makes a compelling narrative but the evidence is limited is best.
New research is challenging the hypothesis that men did the hunting in prehistoric societies.
Five centuries before Columbus arrived, migrants were spreading across North America, carrying their culture with them and mixing with those they encountered in new places.
Archaeologists had some questions about an ancient Aboriginal site. So they involved the community and local school kids on their search for answers.
A new environmental record for a prehistoric site in Kenya helped researchers figure out how external conditions influenced which of our ancient ancestors lived there, with what way of life.
Several theories have suggested either humans, climate change or both drove megafauna extinctions in Southeast Asia. Our newest work suggests otherwise.
More than 500 paintings at 87 rock shelters provide a remarkable glimpse into past Aboriginal life.
Did people settle these islands by traveling north from South America, or in the other direction? Reanalyzing data from artifacts discovered decades ago provides a definitive answer.
By studying the DNA of people who lived in East Asia thousands of years ago, scientists are starting to untangle how the region was populated.
Artefacts suggest a ‘great leap’, a recent evolution of modern intelligence. Fossils and DNA argue that’s an illusion.
Before 200,000 years ago, close to the origin of our species, people preferred the use of broad-leaved grasses to build their beds and resting areas using ash layers underneath.
Mason tirelessly sought to convince officials of the need to recognise and celebrate the African past, and the role that African people played in the making of modern South African society.
There is not much information on artefacts used by Stone Age humans to make sound and music – but the first comprehensive survey is a good start.
Beer was extremely popular in ancient Mesopotamia. Sipped through straws, it differed from today’s beer and was enjoyed by people from all walks of life.
A new study of centuries-old Mesoamerican statues lends weight to the idea that many human facial expressions are universal.
Archaeological discoveries in a jungle cave in central Indonesia suggest humans arrived there 18,000 years ago and decided to stay a while, hunting in the jungle and building canoes.
The updated methods are providing a clearer picture of how Earth and its inhabitants evolved over the past 60,000 years - and thus, providing new insight into its future.
Top contributors
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Honorary Associate Professor, UNSW
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Head, Public Engagement, Chau Chak Wing Museum, University of Sydney
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Claire Smith is a Friend of The Conversation.
Professor of Archaeology, College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, Flinders University
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Research associate, Newcastle University
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Australian Research Council Future Fellow, Archaeology, School of Social Science, The University of Queensland
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Professor in Archaeology, University of Bristol
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Professor of Environmental and Geographical Sciences, Bournemouth University
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PhD Candidate in Biological Anthropology, Liverpool John Moores University
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Banting Postdoctoral Fellow and Adjunct Professor, University of Alberta
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Alice Gorman is a Friend of The Conversation.
Associate Professor in Archaeology and Space Studies, Flinders University
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Tom Austen Brown Professor of Australian Archaeology, University of Sydney
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PhD Candidate, Archaeology, Flinders University
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Research Associate in Archaeology, Flinders University
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Anniversary Chair in Landscape Archaeology, University of Bradford
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Associate Professor of Archaeology, University of Washington
