Debitage

Amidale; The Ngarrindjeri Heritage Committee, Tailem Bend; The Uniapon School, Faculty of Aboriginal and Islander Studies, University of South Australia, Underdale. Present affiliation: The Uniapon School, Faculty of Abori- ginal and Islander Studies, University of South Australia, Underdale.

THE IMPORTANCE OF QUARTZ IN STONE ARTEFACT ASSEMBLAGES: A TECHNOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF FIVE ABORIGINAL SITES OF THE COONABARABRANMARRUMBUNGLE REGION

Patrick Gaynor This thesis analyses a stone assemblage with a large

quartz component spanning 20,000 years from the Late Pleistocene to contact time from the Coonabarabraflarrum- bungle region of northwestern NSW. Attributes applicable to quartz could be identified and linked to human behaviour, which was seen to vary over time. In addition, spatial vari- ation in five stone assemblages from the study area, was analysed. Results fiom both analyses showed that there were some signs of human behaviour present in the quartz por- tion of the assemblages that were not present in the fine- grained portion and vice versa.

This research addressed some of the practical difficulties faced by archaeologists analysing quartz artefacts. These problems are generally well known to archaeologists. Many stone artefact assemblages in Australia and indeed around the world, contain large percentages of these types of arte- facts. The problems archaeologists experience with quartz assemblages begin initially with the recognition of quartz artefacts as genuine artefacts. Following that is the difficulty of finding attributes that can be used for analysing whole assemblages regardless of the raw material present. The main attributes used in conventional methods of assessing artefact technology are seldom found in quartz.

These difficulties have been instrumental in leading many 'researchers in the past to analyse only the fine grained arte- facts in assemblages. Fine-grained artefacts were made of flint, chert, jasper, mudstone, chalcedony or any other micro- crystalline stone. Due to the infrequent analysis of quartz, the technology of quartz artefacts is poorly known in Aust- ralia and in many other parts of the world.

This research suggests that the difficulties associated with the analysis of qu& may be overcome by selecting a range of technological attributes that can be compared with other raw materials. Selected attributes are tested in this thesis in order to determine whether leaving out the quartz portion of an assemblage would result in missing important aspects of Aboriginal behaviour. In this manner, the relative impor- tance of quartz in assemblages could be assessed.

This thesis documents the importance of quartz in the CoonabarabranAVarmmbungle region as well as in a wider Australian context. As the technology of quartz is currently poorly known in Australia and the world, these frndings will help researchers to better understand the importance of quartz to prehistoric knappers. Degree and University: M.A.(Hons), Department of Arch- aeology and Palaeoanthropology, University of New Jkg- land, Arm idale. Date Submitted: July 1996.

Copies held: Department of .Archaeology and Palaeoan- thropology, University of New England, Armidale; Dixson Library, University of New England, Armidale; Coonabara- bran Local Aboriginal Land Council, Coonabarabran; Na- tional Parks and Wildlife Service, Coonabarabran and Dubbo; Coonabarabran Town Library; Gunnedah Town Library; Australian Museum, Sydney. Present affiliation: Department of Archaeology and Palaeoan- thropology, University of New England, Annidale, NSW, 2350.

OFF THE SHELF - OUT OF THE MUSEUM: THE RETRIEVAL OF PLANT MATERIAL FROM THE AUSTRALIAN ARCHAEOLOGICAL RECORD

Marie Colvill This thesis reviews techniques currently available for the

study of archaeobotanical remains, details current archaeo- logical methods and assesses their potential for retrieval of plant remains. Excavation and curation methodologies fie- quently ignore the potential of macroscopic plant remains, or contribute to its loss. By investigation of material avail- able from two past excavations, Botobolar 5 rockshelter, NSW (Pearson 1981) and the Seton Site, Kangaroo Island, SA (Lampert 198 1) it was possible to characterise the nature and extent of this loss and identify potential sources of more site information.

In the first case study, careful curation of Macrozamia remains from Botobolar 5 allowed a new synthesis of in- formation from ethnobotanical, archaeological, taphonomic and toxicological studies which were not available at the time of excavation. Detoxification of Macrozamia, by roasting alone, is strongly supported for this site. Comparison with similar remains from other sites suggests the feasibility of extending this technique from the Aboriginal groups of northeastern New South Wales to other east coast groups.

The Seton Site case study, though supplying a wider range of curated material, clearly illustrated many of the problems associated with earlier approaches to plants in the Australian archaeological record. Examination of the plant material did not indicate plant subsistence strategies or even the wide diversity of habitats proposed by fauna1 studies. This could have been due to the continual reduction of potential plant data by cultural or environmental factors, or the methods of retrieval practised at this particular site.

References Larnpert, R.J. l98 1 The Great Kartan Mystery. Canberra: Depart-

ment of Prehistory, Research School of Pacific Studies, The Australian National University. Terra Australis 5.

Pearson, M. 198 1 Seen through different eyes : Changing land use and settlement patterns in the upper Macquarie River region of NSW, from prehistoric times to 1860. Unpublished Ph.D. thesis, Department of Prehistory and Anthropology, The Australian National University, Canberra.

Degree and University: B.A.(Hons) Department of Arch- aeology and Anthropology, The Australian National Univer- sity, Canberra. Date submitted: November 1995. Copies held: Australian institute of Aboriginal and Tomes Straits Islander Studies, Canberra, ACT; Department of Arch- aeology and Anthropology, The Australian National Univer- sity, Canberra, ACT.

64 Australian Archaeology, Number 45, 1 997