This week's Centre for Archaeological Research (CAR) seminar will be poster presentations by the School of Archaeology and Anthropology's Honours students. 

Presented in person and online, Zoom details below.

William Jones
Title: The Archaeobotany of Con Dat, Vietnam
Abstract: Archaeobotany is central to our understanding of hunter-gatherer economies, but it is often overlooked at such sites. This study examined the charred plant macrofossils from the site of Con Dat in north-central Vietnam, being the first to study the archaeobotany of a Quynh Van culture shell mound site. It employed both morphological and anatomical techniques, some of which are still being developed, to categorise and identify the archaeobotanical remains from Con Dat.

Natasha Lyall
Title: Seeds of immortality: Investigating charred plant macrofossils from Melapong, East Efate, Vanuatu
Abstract: Exploring how colonising Lapita peoples and their immediate descendants used translocated plants and animals to establish sustainable long-term settlements on the islands of Remote Oceania is a key question in Pacific archaeology. To investigate this, recent archaeological excavations were undertaken on Efate, Vanuatu at Melapong, a 5m high midden mound site, dating to the, immediately post-Lapita, Erueti Phase (2800-2600BP). Bulk-sediment flotation of a section of the mound has returned a rich charred plant macrofossil assemblage. This study used modern reference material analysis, archaeological plant macrofossil analysis and AMS radiocarbon dating to illustrate evidence for the exploitation  of fruits, nuts and underground storage organs by the people at Melapong by 2700 cal. BP and demonstrate the potential of archaeological plant macrofossil analysis in the Pacific region. This provides new evidence for ‘transported’ crops and managed landscapes during early settlement in Vanuatu

Phoebe Barnes
Title: Taxonomic Identifications of Faunivorous Marsupials: Zooarchaeological Analysis of Watinglo, North Coast, Papua New Guinea
Abstract: Faunivorous marsupials (Peramelidae and Dasyuridae) remain largely overlooked in zooarchaeological discussions of human subsistence due to a variety of taxonomic and taphonomic challenges. These issues are further compounded when examining the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene periods in New Guinea, a key phase of ecological and environmental transformation in northern Sahul. Watinglo is an archaeological site on the north coast of Papua New Guinea which preserves an extensive and diverse faunal assemblage, including a substantial number of faunivorous marsupials. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of human-environment relationships and the role of faunivorous marsupials in human subsistence strategies and responses to a shifting environment

Alexandra Rook
Title: The Effects of Food Preparation on the Behaviour of Captive Cotton–Top Tamarins

Regan Wai Yui Ng
Title: Roof tiles from Nga Tsin Wai Village: Last standing walled village in Kowloon, Hong Kong
 

Zoom details: https://anu.zoom.us/j/89310466848?pwd=KwyXKZpSFLBSTbaCCLQGyKH52eLNbo.1
Meeting ID: 893 1046 6848
Password: 858113