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The continent of Sahul (Figure 12.1) was colonised some 50,000 years ago by anatomically and behaviourally modern humans. Reviews of the Pleistocene archaeological record of Sahul provide alternative perspectives on the debate surrounding the appearance of a “package” of archaeologically visible traits that have been argued to reflect modern human behaviour. We found (Franklin & Habgood 2007; Habgood & Franklin 2008, 2010) that the appearance of the individual traits revealed both chronological and geographical patterning within Sahul: Chronologically, the package was gradually assembled over 40,000 years following initial occupation of the continent by behaviourally modern colonists, with four broad phases being recognised (Figure 12.2). Geographically, seven “Zones of Innovation” were identified (Figure 12.1), and the Northern Zone could be further subdivided into three. From this pattern it was concluded that modern human behaviour cannot be automatically inferred from inventories of archaeologically recovered material, as the earliest Indigenous inhabitants of Sahul were behaviourally modern, yet the full package of traits was not present at the earliest sites (see also Brumm & Moore 2005; O'Connell & Allen 2007; Balme et al. 2009). Therefore, alternative explanations for the appearance of these archaeological features were sought. The potential causal influence of taphonomy on the patterning identified has previously been considered, but it was concluded that the pattern was not the direct result of taphonomic processes (Franklin & Habgood 2007; Habgood & Franklin 2008, 2010; contra Langley et al. 2011; Langley, this volume). Taphonomy does impact on site assemblages; however, we contend that the patterning for key components of the package was the result of material culture differences and cultural preferences of the Indigenous inhabitants. |
