Marginal returns and fringe benefits: Characterising the prehistory of the lowland deserts of Australia (a reply to Smith)

Abstract

Given the rapidly increasing discovery of early sites in Australia and the 'filling in' of the arid zone (cf. Smith and Sharp 1993), there is a demonstrable need for archaeologists to accurately characterise the behavioural systems responsible for producing 'first assemblages' at the regional level. Most commentators would agree that the earliest dated assemblages are unlikely to reflect the first, permanent occupations of a region, let alone reflect the timing of initial colonisation. That a time-lag might exist for the production of archaeologically visible residues may be attributed to numerous factors, including sample size effect, post-depositional disturbance, intensity of site occupation, rate of sedimentation and the uncertainties of radiocarbon determinations.