Birgitta Stephenson
Biographic Data
| ID | 3862071 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Birgitta Stephenson |
| GIVEN NAMES | Birgitta |
| FAMILY NAME | Stephenson |
| SIGNATURE | STEPHENSON B |
| AFFILIATIONS | The University of Queensland |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-9830-742X |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 15 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 110 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 15 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2012 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2024 |
| H-INDEX | 5 |
Archaeological evidence of an ethnographically documented Australian Aboriginal ritual dated to the last ice age
In societies without writing, ethnographically known rituals have rarely been tracked back archaeologically more than a few hundred years. At the invitation of GunaiKurnai Aboriginal Elders, we undertook archaeological excavations at Cloggs Cave in the foothills of the Australian Alps. In GunaiKurnai Country, caves were not used as residential places during the early colonial period (mid-nineteenth century CE), but as secluded retreats for the pe…
The mulla-mullung ’s Bulk
Recent archaeological mapping of, and excavations at, Cloggs Cave, in GunaiKurnai Aboriginal Country in Southeastern Australia, have revealed a rich underground landscape of stone arrangements, broken stalactites, and what appear to be crushed crystalline minerals and ritual ash layers. Here we examine the stone artifacts to determine how they can shed further light on how the cave was used, and what a GunaiKurnai perspective can tell us about ho…
Shark-tooth artefacts from middle Holocene Sulawesi
Although first identified 120 years ago, knowledge of the Toalean technoculture of Middle Holocene Sulawesi, Indonesia, remains limited. Previous research has emphasised the exploitation of largely terrestrial resources by hunter-gatherers on the island. The recent recovery of two modified tiger shark teeth from the Maros-Pangkep karsts of South Sulawesi, however, offers new insights. The authors combine use-wear and residue analyses with ethnogr…
Years and Worlds Apart
In this paper we report on new research at the iconic archaeological site of Cloggs Cave (GunaiKurnai Country), in the southern foothills of SE Australia’s Great Dividing Range. Detailed chronometric dating, combined with high-resolution 3D mapping, geomorphological studies and archaeological excavations, now allow a dense sequence of Late Holocene ash layers and their contents to be correlated with GunaiKurnai ethnography and current knowledge. …
A nardoo processing grinding stone from a rockshelter in the Pilbara, Western Australia
Nardoo (scientific name Marsilea spp.) is a small freshwater fern, common across semi-arid and arid Australia. While reported as an important starchy food, albeit requiring complex processing in some regions, it is not well known as a food source in the Pilbara of Western Australia. Here we describe plant residues including megaspores, starch grains, cellulose, and fibres on a portable grinding stone from the surface of a rockshelter in the West …
A multi-technique approach to contextualising painted rock art in the Central Pilbara of Western Australia
Ancient starch analysis of grinding stones from Kokatha Country, South Australia
Grinding grounds
Exploring Ceremony
The materiality of ritual performance is a growing focus for archaeologists. In Europe, collective ritual performance is expected to be highly structured and to leave behind a loud archaeological signature. In Australia and Papua New Guinea, ritual is highly structured; however, material signatures for performance are not always apparent, with ritual frequently bound up in the surrounding natural and cultural landscape. One way of assessing long-…
Current Analytical Frameworks for Studies of Use–Wear on Ground Stone Tools
Mapping a millstone
Despite continuing interest in whether plant residues and microwear can give an archaeological 'signature' for the grinding of grain, few studies have looked at what is actually present on ethnographic seed-grinders. In this paper, we map the distribution of use-polish and residues on a classic Central Australian millstone. We begin by setting out an explanatory 'cradle–to–grave' model of the dynamics of millstones to assist our interpretations. …
A modified Picro-Sirius Red (PSR) staining procedure with polarization microscopy for identifying collagen in archaeological residues
The scale of seed grinding at Lake Mungo
Smith's Comment on our functional analysis of grinding stone fragments from Pleistocene contexts at Lake Mungo (Fullagar et al. 2015) draws attention to the low frequency of implements, uncertainties about functional interpretations and archaeological implications. He argues that Pleistocene seed exploitation at Lake Mungo was limited and probably not indicative of a seed grinding economy. We suggest that it is premature to speculate about the sc…
Evidence for Pleistocene seed grinding at Lake Mungo, south‐eastern Australia
Grinding stones and fragments have often been found in archaeological sites at Lake Mungo, south‐western New South Wales, and their function has mostly been inferred on the basis of grindstone morphology. Of particular interest has been the antiquity of grass seed grinding, which is usually associated with deeply grooved, large sandstone dishes. Previous studies of grinding stones from the region have found no compelling evidence for seed grindin…
Thesis Abstracts
Evidence for Pleistocene seed grinding at Lake Mungo, south‐eastern Australia
Grinding stones and fragments have often been found in archaeological sites at Lake Mungo, south‐western New South Wales, and their function has mostly been inferred on the basis of grindstone morphology. Of particular interest has been the antiquity of grass seed grinding, which is usually associated with deeply grooved, large sandstone dishes. Previous studies of grinding stones from the region have found no compelling evidence for seed grindin…
A modified Picro-Sirius Red (PSR) staining procedure with polarization microscopy for identifying collagen in archaeological residues
Grinding grounds
Years and Worlds Apart
In this paper we report on new research at the iconic archaeological site of Cloggs Cave (GunaiKurnai Country), in the southern foothills of SE Australia’s Great Dividing Range. Detailed chronometric dating, combined with high-resolution 3D mapping, geomorphological studies and archaeological excavations, now allow a dense sequence of Late Holocene ash layers and their contents to be correlated with GunaiKurnai ethnography and current knowledge. …
Mapping a millstone
Despite continuing interest in whether plant residues and microwear can give an archaeological 'signature' for the grinding of grain, few studies have looked at what is actually present on ethnographic seed-grinders. In this paper, we map the distribution of use-polish and residues on a classic Central Australian millstone. We begin by setting out an explanatory 'cradle–to–grave' model of the dynamics of millstones to assist our interpretations. …
The scale of seed grinding at Lake Mungo
Smith's Comment on our functional analysis of grinding stone fragments from Pleistocene contexts at Lake Mungo (Fullagar et al. 2015) draws attention to the low frequency of implements, uncertainties about functional interpretations and archaeological implications. He argues that Pleistocene seed exploitation at Lake Mungo was limited and probably not indicative of a seed grinding economy. We suggest that it is premature to speculate about the sc…
Exploring Ceremony
The materiality of ritual performance is a growing focus for archaeologists. In Europe, collective ritual performance is expected to be highly structured and to leave behind a loud archaeological signature. In Australia and Papua New Guinea, ritual is highly structured; however, material signatures for performance are not always apparent, with ritual frequently bound up in the surrounding natural and cultural landscape. One way of assessing long-…
Archaeological evidence of an ethnographically documented Australian Aboriginal ritual dated to the last ice age
In societies without writing, ethnographically known rituals have rarely been tracked back archaeologically more than a few hundred years. At the invitation of GunaiKurnai Aboriginal Elders, we undertook archaeological excavations at Cloggs Cave in the foothills of the Australian Alps. In GunaiKurnai Country, caves were not used as residential places during the early colonial period (mid-nineteenth century CE), but as secluded retreats for the pe…
A nardoo processing grinding stone from a rockshelter in the Pilbara, Western Australia
Nardoo (scientific name Marsilea spp.) is a small freshwater fern, common across semi-arid and arid Australia. While reported as an important starchy food, albeit requiring complex processing in some regions, it is not well known as a food source in the Pilbara of Western Australia. Here we describe plant residues including megaspores, starch grains, cellulose, and fibres on a portable grinding stone from the surface of a rockshelter in the West …
A multi-technique approach to contextualising painted rock art in the Central Pilbara of Western Australia
Thesis Abstracts
Current Analytical Frameworks for Studies of Use–Wear on Ground Stone Tools
Mapping a millstone
Despite continuing interest in whether plant residues and microwear can give an archaeological 'signature' for the grinding of grain, few studies have looked at what is actually present on ethnographic seed-grinders. In this paper, we map the distribution of use-polish and residues on a classic Central Australian millstone. We begin by setting out an explanatory 'cradle–to–grave' model of the dynamics of millstones to assist our interpretations. …
A modified Picro-Sirius Red (PSR) staining procedure with polarization microscopy for identifying collagen in archaeological residues
The scale of seed grinding at Lake Mungo
Smith's Comment on our functional analysis of grinding stone fragments from Pleistocene contexts at Lake Mungo (Fullagar et al. 2015) draws attention to the low frequency of implements, uncertainties about functional interpretations and archaeological implications. He argues that Pleistocene seed exploitation at Lake Mungo was limited and probably not indicative of a seed grinding economy. We suggest that it is premature to speculate about the sc…
Evidence for Pleistocene seed grinding at Lake Mungo, south‐eastern Australia
Grinding stones and fragments have often been found in archaeological sites at Lake Mungo, south‐western New South Wales, and their function has mostly been inferred on the basis of grindstone morphology. Of particular interest has been the antiquity of grass seed grinding, which is usually associated with deeply grooved, large sandstone dishes. Previous studies of grinding stones from the region have found no compelling evidence for seed grindin…
Grinding grounds
Exploring Ceremony
The materiality of ritual performance is a growing focus for archaeologists. In Europe, collective ritual performance is expected to be highly structured and to leave behind a loud archaeological signature. In Australia and Papua New Guinea, ritual is highly structured; however, material signatures for performance are not always apparent, with ritual frequently bound up in the surrounding natural and cultural landscape. One way of assessing long-…
Ancient starch analysis of grinding stones from Kokatha Country, South Australia
A nardoo processing grinding stone from a rockshelter in the Pilbara, Western Australia
Nardoo (scientific name Marsilea spp.) is a small freshwater fern, common across semi-arid and arid Australia. While reported as an important starchy food, albeit requiring complex processing in some regions, it is not well known as a food source in the Pilbara of Western Australia. Here we describe plant residues including megaspores, starch grains, cellulose, and fibres on a portable grinding stone from the surface of a rockshelter in the West …
A multi-technique approach to contextualising painted rock art in the Central Pilbara of Western Australia
Years and Worlds Apart
In this paper we report on new research at the iconic archaeological site of Cloggs Cave (GunaiKurnai Country), in the southern foothills of SE Australia’s Great Dividing Range. Detailed chronometric dating, combined with high-resolution 3D mapping, geomorphological studies and archaeological excavations, now allow a dense sequence of Late Holocene ash layers and their contents to be correlated with GunaiKurnai ethnography and current knowledge. …
The mulla-mullung ’s Bulk
Recent archaeological mapping of, and excavations at, Cloggs Cave, in GunaiKurnai Aboriginal Country in Southeastern Australia, have revealed a rich underground landscape of stone arrangements, broken stalactites, and what appear to be crushed crystalline minerals and ritual ash layers. Here we examine the stone artifacts to determine how they can shed further light on how the cave was used, and what a GunaiKurnai perspective can tell us about ho…
Shark-tooth artefacts from middle Holocene Sulawesi
Although first identified 120 years ago, knowledge of the Toalean technoculture of Middle Holocene Sulawesi, Indonesia, remains limited. Previous research has emphasised the exploitation of largely terrestrial resources by hunter-gatherers on the island. The recent recovery of two modified tiger shark teeth from the Maros-Pangkep karsts of South Sulawesi, however, offers new insights. The authors combine use-wear and residue analyses with ethnogr…
Archaeological evidence of an ethnographically documented Australian Aboriginal ritual dated to the last ice age
In societies without writing, ethnographically known rituals have rarely been tracked back archaeologically more than a few hundred years. At the invitation of GunaiKurnai Aboriginal Elders, we undertook archaeological excavations at Cloggs Cave in the foothills of the Australian Alps. In GunaiKurnai Country, caves were not used as residential places during the early colonial period (mid-nineteenth century CE), but as secluded retreats for the pe…
Archaeology (13 works) · Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology (13 works) · Geography (12 works) · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies (10 works) · History (6 works) · Engineering (5 works) · Grinding (5 works) · Geology (4 works) · Pacific and Southeast Asian Studies (4 works) · Anthropology (3 works)