Abstract
Introduction
In 2011, we began researching the subsurface archaeology, geomorphology and rock art of Dalakngalarr 1, a moderately sized rockshelter on top of the central-western Arnhem Land plateau in Jawoyn Country. Here, four lines of evidence give relative or absolute ages for rock art:
1. Archaeological excavations adjacent to a boulder that contains a painting of a red macropod reveal when that boulder attained its present position, so the red macropod must have been painted sometime afterwards.
2. Paintings of axe/hoes with metal heads indicate that they were painted during the European contact period. A nearby group of X-ray images are painted in comparable pigments, suggesting that they are contemporaneous with the axe/hoes.
3. Geomorphological evidence suggests that parts of the site’s ceiling collapsed at datable times in the past, indicating that the art on that roof must post-date the roof collapse.
4. Direct accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon dates on beeswax art.
In 2011, we began researching the subsurface archaeology, geomorphology and rock art of Dalakngalarr 1, a moderately sized rockshelter on top of the central-western Arnhem Land plateau in Jawoyn Country. Here, four lines of evidence give relative or absolute ages for rock art:
1. Archaeological excavations adjacent to a boulder that contains a painting of a red macropod reveal when that boulder attained its present position, so the red macropod must have been painted sometime afterwards.
2. Paintings of axe/hoes with metal heads indicate that they were painted during the European contact period. A nearby group of X-ray images are painted in comparable pigments, suggesting that they are contemporaneous with the axe/hoes.
3. Geomorphological evidence suggests that parts of the site’s ceiling collapsed at datable times in the past, indicating that the art on that roof must post-date the roof collapse.
4. Direct accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon dates on beeswax art.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | The Archaeology of Rock Art in Western Arnhem Land, Australia |
| Editors | Bruno David, Paul S.C. Taçon, Jean-Jacques Delannoy, Jean-Michel Geneste |
| Place of Publication | Acton, ACT |
| Publisher | ANU Press |
| Chapter | 13 |
| Pages | 329-370 |
| Number of pages | 42 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9781760461621 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9781760461614 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2017 |
Publication series
| Name | Terra Australis |
|---|---|
| Publisher | ANU Press |
| Volume | 47 |
Bibliographical note
'This book is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0).'Keywords
- Archaeology
- Rock art
- Arnhem Land
- Geophysics