The AAA Conference 2017 takes place 6-8 December in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. There will be two sessions on experimental archaeology at the Australian Archaeological Association (AAA) 2017 Conference as well as a pre-conference workshop day.
Monday 4 December, a pre-conference Experimental Archaeology Workshop will take place at the La Trobe University Wildlife Sanctuary, Bundoora. This will be an all day workshop running from 10-4, with lunch and morning/afternoon tea included. We have international demonstrators as well as demonstrations from the member of the Australian Experimental Archaeology Group (AEAG) focusing on ethnographic reproduction and taphonomy.
The presenters are:
Emmy Frost – Clay Ball Experiment
Emmy is a PhD candidate at La Trobe University, where her research focuses on dietary change and nutritional quality of prey species from costal sites. Her demonstration will involve the creation of clay balls to be used as heat retainers for cooking native foods. These heat retainers will then be tested to see if fats can be recognised chemically on the clay balls and create a baseline for archaeological investigations. Native foods will also be tested for the nutritional quality of both the raw and cooked samples.
Matt Swieton - Knapping and Blade Making
Matt is a PhD candidate at the University of Otago, an American-trained lithic technologist and recreational flintknapper, he his MA in experimental archaeology at the University of Exeter. His presentation explores the New Zealand Waitaki technique, a purported intentional snapped blade technology.
Luc Bordes – Throwing Sticks and Resin Making
Luc is a PhD candidate at The University of Wollongong at the Centre for
Archaeological Science (CAS), his research focuses on detecting prehistoric micro-residues utilising Raman spectroscopy. His presentation will demonstrate resin making and participants have the opportunity to try their hand at throwing replica hunting sticks.
Kim Crabtree – Animal Body Farm Tour
Kim recently completed her Honours at La Trobe University focused on natural disarticulation of whole native animals. Kim will conduct a tour of her on going experiments and explain the importance of base line data for interpreting archaeological faunas.
Session: Experiments and Cultural Practice: The World of Australian Experimental and Experiential Archaeology
Convenors: Fiona Hook, University of Western Australia
Bec Parkes, Lantern Heritage
Alice Mora, La Trobe University
Darren Griffin, Barengi Gadjin Land Council Aboriginal Corporation
From the laboratory to the field, from intangible to tangible, from hypothesis to proof of concept, from traditions and evidence to shared knowledge: what is the role of experimental archaeology in Australia?
This session aims to showcase Australian experimental archaeology and Traditional practices, and provide a forum for discussing the scientific and cultural significance of experiments and experiences. Papers will also explore why experimental archaeology has not been widely practiced in Australia. It will present experimentations and practices of cultural revival concerning both tangible and intangible heritage, covering studies ranging from Aboriginal shell beads from the terminal Pleistocene, to the effects of trampling within sites, through to the taste of the beer that filled the bottles found within historical archaeological sites, as well as traditional performances and craftsmanship. Papers will also explore how Traditional Owners have embraced experimental archaeology as an integral part of collaborative research projects with academics, developers, land managers and commercial archaeologists. These projects combine elements of experimental archaeology, intangible heritage recording and the revitalisation of cultural practices and connections.
This session will also include ‘hands-on’ participation.
Wednesday 6 December 2017, 10:30h – 12:30h
Experiential Archaeology: Making Archaeological Sites and their Values Accessible to the Wider Community
Gary Estcourt, Heritage 21
Improving the Interpretation of Aboriginal Earth Ovens through Archaeomagnetic Analysis of Experimentally Re-Created Clay Heat-Retainers
Alice Mora, La Trobe University (presenting author)
Maurizio Campanelli, La Trobe University
Agathe Lisé-Pronovost, La Trobe University
Tom Mallett, La Trobe University
Darren Griffin, Barengi Gadjin Land Council Aboriginal Corporation
Daniel Clarke, Aboriginal Victoria
Andy I.R. Herries, La Trobe University
How Worn is Worn?: Experiments to Explore the Manufacture and Usewear of Dentalium Shell Beads from Northern Australia
Fiona Hook, The University of Western Australia/Archae-aus
Explaining the Lack of Emu Eggshell Material Culture in Australia: Experimental Working and Archaeological Implications
Michelle Langley, Griffith University
Archaeology of Beer and the Fluidity of Meaning
Bec Parkes, Lantern Heritage Pty Ltd (presenting author)
Iain Johnston, Australian National University
Nigel Bruer, Archae-aus
Elle Lillis, NOHC
Tim Thomas, HopDog BeerWorks
Session: Experimental Archaeology: A Global Perspective
Convenors:
Rhiannon Stammers, La Trobe University
Jillian Garvey, La Trobe University
Globally, Experimental Archaeology is an integral tool for supporting interpretation of the record - both theoretically and practically. Creating modern analogies are essential for forming baseline datasets against which to test hypotheses on formation. From understanding stone tool production sequences to the reconstruction of historic architecture, experimental archaeology has broad and far-reaching application. This session invites papers on all aspects of experimental archaeology without geographic restriction, including papers on scientific procedures, methodological and theoretical aspects.
Friday 8 December 2017, 8:30h – 13:00h
Artefact Preservation in Saturated, Tropical Cave Sediments: Constraining Site Formation Processes in the Humid Tropics through Experimental Reconstruction
of Sedimentary Palaeoenvironments
Conor McAdams, University of Wollongong (presenting author)
Mike Morley, University of Wollongong
Susan Luong, University of Wollongong
Linda Prinsloo, University of Wollongong
Richard (Bert) Roberts, University of Wollongong
Synergic Applications of Advanced Computed Tomographic Methods in Archaeology: Part One
Anton Maksimenko, Australian Synchrotron (presenting author)
Filomena Salvemini, ANSTO
Synergic Applications of Advanced Computed Tomographic Methods in Archaeology: Part Two
FIlomena Salvemini, ACNS/ANSTO
Anton Maksimenko, Australian Synchrotron (presenting author)
Bag it and Tag it: Plastic Degradation in Archaeological Storage
Grace McKenzie-McHarg, Grimwade Centre for Cultural Material Conservation (presenting author)
Petronella Nel, Grimwade Centre for Cultural Material Conservation
Experiment and Experience in New Zealand Lithic Technology: A Case Study from the Nenthorn Valley Silcrete Quarry
Matt Swieton, University of Otago
Recent Trends in the Study of Silcrete Heat Treatment in South Africa and Their Implications for Australian Prehistory
Patrick Schmidt, University of Tübingen
More Heat, Less Fuel: A Scanning Electron Microscope Perspective on Experimental Charcoal and Fuelwood
Caroline Cartwright, British Museum
Feast on This: Towards an Understanding of Burning and Heating Processes on Tropical Archaeological Shell
Annette Oertle, University of Wollongong
Trampling Pots and Shells: Understanding the Impacts of Trampling on Cultural Materials in Pacific Archaeological Sites
Graeme Cotter, James Cook University (presenting author)
Christian Reepmeyer, James Cook University
Cassandra Rowe, James Cook University
Sean Ulm, James Cook University
Results of the Australian Experimental Archaeology Group’s 2017 Workshop
Rhiannon Stammers, La Trobe University (presenting author)
Jillian Garvey, La Trobe University
Matthew Meredith-Williams, La Trobe University
The Australian Experimental Archaeology Group: Aims, Ideas, and Future Directions
Discussion Panel
