Position: Visiting Fellow
School and/or Centres: School of Archaeology and Anthropology
Email: Debbie.Argue@anu.edu.au
Phone: 61253208
Location: Room 216, Upper Floor, Banks Building (#44), Linnaeus Way
I am an Honorary Lecturer in the School of Archaeology and Anthropology. My research focus is human evolution, and, in particular, Homo floresiensis, its potential forebears and its contemporaries.
My PhD focuses on the phylogenetic (family tree) relationships among hominin species that existed during the Early Pleistocene in Africa and Europe. Human evolution during the Middle Pleistocene is the focus of my Master of Arts thesis. My fieldwork-based Dissertation for my Honours degree was on Australian Aboriginal prehistory in the Australian Alps. I have worked as a consultant archaeologist; and in the identification and assessment of heritage places for local government.
I am engaged in several international collaborative projects on human evolution.
I have supported a number of School of Archaeology and Anthropology PhD candidates as Advisor on their PhD Panels; have Tutored in Bioanthropology and provided academic support to international students in the School of Archaeology and Anthropology.
Research Portal Plus
Human evolution in Africa, Asia and Europe
Homo floresiensis
Palaeoanthropology
Argue, Debbie. 2022. Little Species Big Mystery, the Story of Homo floresiensis. Melbourne University Publishing.
Argue, D., Groves C.P., Lee, M.S.Y., Jungers W.L. 2017. The affinities of Homo floresiensis based on phylogenetic analyses of cranial, dental and postcranial characters. Journal of Human Evolution 107, 107-133.
Argue, D. Homo floresiensis. 2017. Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Major reference work. Springer Nature. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_3437-1
Argue, D. 2017.Homo rudolfensis. Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Major reference work. Springer Nature. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_3434-1
Argue, D. 2017. The enigma of Homo floresiensis, in P. Bellwood, First Islanders: Prehistory and Human Migration in Island Southeast Asia pp. 60-65. Hoboken and Oxford: Wiley Blackwell.
Argue, D. 2017. Homo floresiensis. Little Species Big Mystery. The Science Breaker 5 September 2017.
Argue, D. 2017. The Struggle to Understand the Hobbit. Cosmos. October edition.
Argue, D. 2016. Message from Mungo. The Asia Pacific Journal of Anthropology, 17:3-4, 381-383, DOI: 10.1080/14442213.2015.1126269
Argue, D. 2015. Variation in the Early and Middle Pleistocene: The phylogenetic relationships of Ceprano, Bodo, Daka, Kabwe and Buia. In A. M. Behie, M. F. Oxenham (eds.), Taxonomic Tapestries. The Threads of Evolutionary, Behavioural and Conservation Research. ANU Press, pp 215-248.
Taxonomic Tapestries is a tribute to Professor Colin Groves whose work has had an enormous impact in the field of taxonomy. http://press.anu.edu.au?p=318011
Argue, D. 2015. Big questions about little hominins. Australasian Science, 36/3:28-30.
Argue. D. 2014.Homo floresiensis: further insights. McGraw-Hill Yearbook of Science & Technology 2014. McGraw-Hill Education. ISBN 978-0-07-183106-2. New York, USA.
Argue. D. 2012. Comment and response to Forth, G. (2012). Are legendary hominoids worth looking for? Views from ethnobiology and paleoanthropology. Anthropology Today38(2):13-16. The Relict Hominoid Inquiry 1:83-86 (2012)
Argue, D. 2011. The Homo floresiensis Puzzle. Popular Anthropology 2(3):18-21.
Argue, D., Morwood, M., Sutikna, T., Jatmiko, Wahyu Saptomo. 2010. A Reply to Trueman’s ‘A new cladistic analysis of Homo floresiensis’. Journal of Human Evolution 59:227-230.
Argue, D., Morwood, M., Sutikna, T., Jatmiko, Wahyu Saptomo. 2009. Homo floresiensis – a cladistic analysis. Journal of Human Evolution 57:623-639.
Argue, D., Morwood, M.,Sutikna, T., Jatmiko, Wahyu Saptomo. 2007.Homo floresiensis. What is it? Where does it fit in the human story? In: E. Indriati (ed.) Recent Advances on Southeast Asian Palaeoanthropology and Archaeology. Proceedings International Seminar on Southeast Asian Palaeoanthropology; Yogyakarta, Indonesia. July 2007.
Argue, D., Donlon, D., Groves, C., Wright, R. 2006. Homo floresiensis: Microcephalic, pygmoid, Australopithecine or Homo? Journal of Human Evolution. 57:360-374
Argue, D. 2005. Miles Franklin, the American Architect and the Canberra Mould. Journal of the Canberra and District Historical Society.
Argue, D. 2003. ‘The Muddle in the Middle. Temporal and regional variation in Homo during the Middle Pleistocene and beyond’. Quaternary Australasia 21: 3.
Wallis, K., Argue, D and Pearson M. 2003. Heritage and Bushfires in the ACT. Heritage in Trust; the Journal of the National Trust of Australia (ACT).
D. Argue, G. Hope and P. Saunders. 2001. Digging Stick site, Namadgi National Park, ACT.Australian Archaeology 53: 41-42.
D. Argue. 1995. Aboriginal Occupation of the Southern Highlands: Was it Really Seasonal? Australian Archaeology 41:30-36.
D. Argue. 1995. Discovery of a Possible Digging Stick in the South East Region of Australia. Australian Archaeology 41:38-40.
2023. Philanthropic funding offered and accepted for research on Flores Island, Indonesia. $A20,000. Funds held at the University of Wollongong.
2016. Cestone Foundation; for archaeological investigations on Flores, Indonesia. $A60,000.
Australian Research Council Award (DP 109680). 2010-2017. $A347,000. Chief Investigator: Colin Groves; Partner Investigator: William Jungers.
Australian National University College of Arts and Social Sciences. Award to host Visiting Fellow to ANU. November 2010.
Australian National University Vice Chancellor travel award 2007.
Australian National University Doctoral Research Fellowship 2004-2008.
Sydney Museum Honours travel award 1990.
2022 John Mulvaney Book Award for ‘Little Species Big Mystery, the story of Homo floresiensis’. The John Mulvaney Book Award recognises significant contributions to the publication of Australian archaeology. Established in 2004, the annual award honours the ‘father of Australian archaeology’ John Mulvaney and recognises academic and public interest archaeology books.
2007 Dorothy Cameron Prize: best publication in Archaeology by an ANU student.