An analysis of surface stone artefacts associated with anthropogenic earth mounds from Calperum Station, South Australia, together with a consideration of comparative murray darling basin data

This paper presents the results of surveys and detailed recordings of surface stone artefacts associated with 13 anthropogenic earth mounds at Calperum Station in South Australia’s Riverland region. The low density assemblages were dominated by small unmodified chert and silcrete flakes produced by knapping strategies aimed at maximising the raw materials. A comparatively large amount of coarse, heat shattered silcrete was also identified, which is likely to have been used as heat retainers in the earth mounds. These findings are similar to many mounds in other parts of the Murray Darling Basin and lend support for Westell and Wood’s (2014) proposition that Riverland mounds were likely functionally specific loci of food and fibre processing activities (via ovens) and were not used as general occupation sites.