37,000 Years and More in Tropical Australia: Investigating Long-Term Archaeological Trends in Cape York Peninsula

Abstract

The prehistory of Cape York Peninsula, in tropical northern Australia, has been more intensively investigated than that of most other parts of the continent. As a result, a considerable database now exists by which long-term archaeological trends can be evaluated. In this paper we investigate temporal trends in occupational intensities and patterns of land use during the last 37,000 years by employing: 1, the temporal distribution of all radiocarbon dates obtained for the region; 2, the numbers of sites occupied through time; and 3, rates of establishment of new sites during the course of prehistory. These archaeological trends are then compared with the palaeo-environmental record of the region to determine its potential influence on the trends. We conclude that an initial, long period of regional occupation occurred (c. 37,000–4000 BP) when cultural trends varied in tandem with gross environmental fluctuations. This was followed by a late Holocene period (post 4000 BP) when cultural trajectories diverged significantly from environmental trends. This suggests that more complex Aboriginal demographic processes were set in train during the late Holocene, associated with social structures that were more dynamic than previously. We suggest that while changing patterns of land use may be apparent, their understanding requires an enquiry into periods of emergence — that is, their immediate historical antecedents. These results have broader implications for our understanding of Australian prehistory and the prehistory of other hunter-gatherer societies.