Reconceptualising Last Glacial Maximum discontinuities: A case study from the maritime deserts of north-western Australia

Abstract

Understanding discontinuities in the Australian archaeological record currently represents a major challenge for researchers especially where different interpretive frameworks are used to explain the same phenomena. The widespread Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) absence of dated archaeological evidence in desert lowlands is often interpreted as a lack of human occupation. While this scenario may be true in many cases, we believe this inference requires critical re-appraisal. Using case studies from the coastal Carnarvon bioregion, located in a maritime desert of NW Australia, we argue that discontinuities and occupational lacunae may be the result of a variety of different geomorphic and human behavioural processes where the absence of people may be only part of the equation. We argue that, by reconceptualising discontinuities with an explicit multi-scalar focus on depositional regimes and landscape patterns, richer explanations about human occupational patterning at both the local and regional levels can be generated.