Hidden in the Haematite: Patterns of continuity and change reflected in the selection, production and use of haematite at Madjedbebe, Arnhem Land, Australia – Preliminary Results
Abstract
This presentation outlines the research currently underway as part of Delyth’s PhD project on ochre use at Madjedbebe, Australia. Very few use-wear and residue studies have been conducted on worked ochre, and even fewer studies have investigated the evolving technological innovations of ochre processing for the extraction of pigment powder. Delyth’s study intends to remedy this lack of research by investigating the characteristics of processed haematite to determine whether changes in processing techniques and procurement choices reflect previously noted changes in social, cultural, economic or climate at Madjedbebe. If technological and procurement changes can be identified in the archaeological record through the examination of ochre, then this will add to the suite of explanatory tools currently used in archaeology.
This presentation outlines the PhD project as a whole and will then discuss the results of her ochre use experimentation and how this information will be used in further analyses. Finally, Delyth will discuss the preliminary results of analyses completed so far and what this information reveals about ochre use at Madjedbebe.
About the presenter
Delyth Cox is a current Archaeology PhD student at the University of Queensland. Her speciality is the study of use-wear and residues on worked ochre, and she is currently studying the ochre from Madjedbebe, one of the oldest sites in Australia. She is also a wife, and mother of two teenagers.
About Archaeology Working Papers
The Working Papers in Archaeology seminar series provides a forum for dissemination of archaeological research and ideas amongst UQ archaeology students and staff. All students are invited to attend the series and postgraduate students, from honours upwards, are invited to present their research. The aim is to provide opportunities for students, staff and those from outside UQ, to present and discuss their work in an informal environment. It is hoped that anyone interested in current archaeological directions, both within and outside the School and University, will be able to attend and contribute to the series.
