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Raw material movement and past T asmanian A boriginal interaction: implications for understanding isolated human population dynamics
Author(s) -
Cosgrove Richard
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
archaeology in oceania
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1834-4453
pISSN - 0728-4896
DOI - 10.1002/arco.5049
Subject(s) - human interaction , archaeology , movement (music) , population , proxy (statistics) , history , sociology , geography , economic geography , ethnology , art , aesthetics , computer science , demography , human–computer interaction , machine learning
The study of stone artefact raw material distribution from point sources to archaeological sites has been important in understanding patterns of long‐term human interaction. Proximity to raw material sources has been emphasised in many studies, particularly the distance over which items travel and the nature of the social interactions reflected in such patterns. T asmania provides an example where the ethnohistorical documents have played an important role in characterising A boriginal society and tribal relationships. Although glimpses of societal structure and interaction have been gained through the works of B rian P lomley, R hys J ones and L yndall R yan, the archaeology of such organisation has been elusive. The aim of this paper is to discuss the evidence for raw material movement as a proxy for the patterns of past interaction between T asmanian A boriginal people.