Trudy Doelman
Biographic Data
| ID | 660501 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Trudy Doelman |
| GIVEN NAMES | Trudy |
| FAMILY NAME | Doelman |
| SIGNATURE | DOELMAN T |
| AFFILIATIONS | The University of Sydney |
| VERIFIED | No |
| TOTAL WORKS | 28 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 249 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 28 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1998 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 9 |
An archaeological record of late Holocene activity and colonial impacts in the New England Tableland, New South Wales, Australia
On the balance of evidence, peopling of Parramatta, Sydney, Australia, occurred after the Last Glacial Maximum
A recent synthesis of archaeological investigations in the centre of Sydney has proposed that initial peopling of this part of southeast Australia focussed on the Hawkesbury-Nepean River system, and only utilised the broader region following the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) in response to demographic packing, ameliorating climate and/or coastal inundation. Two new publications, Quinn et al. (2023) and Owen et al. (2024), have proposed a pre-LGM occ…
Facets of Variation
Macrocrystalline quartz is an abundant raw material used widely for artefact manufacture. In Australia its procurement, reduction and use are now considered more complex than previously thought. The analysis of a mid-late Holocene assemblage from Moolarben in eastern Australia demonstrates how geoarchaeological variability influences the manufacture of macrocrystalline quartz artefacts. The different flaking proprieties of the three available mac…
Was Aboriginal population recovery delayed after the Last Glacial Maximum? A synthesis of a terminal Pleistocene deposit from the Sydney Basin, New South Wales, Australia
Elemental differences
Paleochannels and Patches
Although Aboriginal occupation dates to the Pleistocene, silcrete artifacts only begin to dominate archaeological sites found in the Cumberland Plain of western Sydney, eastern Australia, during the mid‐late Holocene. These assemblages routinely include large numbers of backed artifacts. A geoarchaeological survey of five potential silcrete source areas found that silcrete is irregularly distributed along ridgelines within gravel patches that rep…
A composite model of scraper variation
Morphological variation of scrapers from two artefact concentrations in the Stud Creek catchment, northwest New South Wales (NSW) is examined to investigate whether variation in retouch fits best with a segmented, continuum or composite model. Technological and typological analyses are used to characterise morphological variation. The results clearly show that a composite model, associated with a plurality in the purposes of retouching and in the…
Design Theory and the Australian Tula Adze
The tula adze is a distinctive composite tool that was used in the Australian arid zone during the late Holocene. In this paper we use design theory to investigate why this particular tool form was so pervasive across time and space. Design theory provides a rational means for classifying tool designs and for determining why particular tool design classes were employed over others. We draw upon ethnographic and archaeological evidence to characte…
Remains of a Puzzle
Previous geochemical studies of volcanic glass artifacts dating to the Late Palaeolithic in northeast Asia have revealed a wide distribution of artifacts from sources in China, Korea, and Far East Russia. Through an analysis of lithic technology, this study sheds new light on the variety and complexity of the social, technological, and landscape factors that shaped the long distance movement of stone artifacts
Ventrally thinned flakes from south central Queensland
The process of ventral thinning in Australian lithic technology is usually limited to (i) the preparation of bifacial points or (ii) reduction of the bulbar surface to facilitate hafting. In this paper we describe a number of flakes from south central Queensland (Qld) that exhibit ventral thinning beyond the bulbar region, yet do not fulfil the traditional typological criteria of Australian bifacial points. We then consider how similar artefacts …
Large burin blade cores from south central Queensland
This paper reviews burin blade core reduction methods in Australia, demonstrating that they were used to produce small blades during the mid- to late Holocene, but tended to be limited to a few discrete geographical regions. We present new evidence from two surface sites in south central Queensland that extend this view. At one of these sites the burin blade cores have a very broad size range, and include many specimens that are much larger than …
Silcrete quarries and artefact distribution in the Central Queensland Highlands, Eastern Australia
A geoarchaeological study of silcrete in the Central Queensland Highlands highlights the importance of geological context in understanding the procurement, use and transport of artefacts. This study shows, by focusing on a newly discovered silcrete quarry, that silcrete formed beneath basalt by silicification of stream sediments and underlying sandstone. Silcrete outcrops are largely restricted to cliffs where the base of the basalt is exposed, n…
Where are stone artefacts found? Testing Hall's predictive model of artefact density in the south‐east Australian highlands
We use a non‐site survey methodology and statistical significance testing to evaluate Hall's (1992a) predictive model of stone artefact distributions in the south‐east Australian highlands. The study area is a 19.5 km2 rectangular corridor in the Limestone Creek valley, north‐east Victoria. The study confirms a number of Hall's predictions about the relationship between stone artefact density and environmental factors. The strongest relationship …
New pieces
A progress report on research into stone artefacts of the southern Arcadia Valley, central Queensland
We report on progress made to date on a collaborative project which aims to shed light on various aspects of lithic technology in the southern Arcadia Valley, central Queensland. Analysis of >4000 stone artefacts indicates that silcrete was an important lithic resource locally. Initial results from portable x-ray fluorescence analysis of a sample of artefacts suggests that this technique may be capable of characterising geochemical signatures for…
Another Dating Revolution for Prehistoric Archaeology
Moving sources
Innovations in Microblade Core Production at the Tigrovy-8 Late Palaeolithic Quarry in Eastern Russia
The importance of innovative behavior in highly resource-poor seasonal environments is highlighted by the flexible stone working technology at the Tigrovy-8 late Pleistocene basaltic glass quarry, recently discovered in the Primorye region of eastern Russia. Although risky, investing time and energy in developing new flaking techniques was particularly important in this setting, because multiple strategies could help prevent failure in acquiring …
Time to Quarry
The quarry has been considered a cornerstone in understanding lithic production systems. However, the methodological problems associated with the investigation of a quarry assemblage often leads to inadequate recording. The lack of detailed quarry research in Australia focusing on non-axe quarries has meant that they are poorly understood and for this reason a plethora of potentially valuable research regarding the role of the quarry in the organ…
Source selectivity
Artifacts made from volcanic glass have been found in archaeological contexts dating from the Late Palaeolithic (ca. 20,000 yr B.P.) through to the end of the Bronze Age (ca. 2700 yr B.P.) in the southern Primorye region of Far East Russia. A geoarchaeological survey of volcanic glass outcrops assessed the various potential sources to determine their potential for sustained exploitation. A characterization study of source samples and artifacts fr…
Organizing the manufacture of Bondi points at Balmoral Beach, Middle Harbour, Sydney, NSW, Australia
Analysis of the stone artefact assemblage excavated from a stratified midden in a sandstone rockshelter at Balmoral Beach in Middle Harbour, Sydney, has revealed various strategies were adopted in manufacturing asymmetric backed artefacts, also known as Bondi points. The irregular morphology of many Bondi points and the small size of most in this assemblage suggest a need to economize and improvise, which we propose was due to the relatively limi…
Flexibility and Creativity in Microblade Core Manufacture in Southern Primorye, Far East Russia
The purely typological approach to microblade technology often obscures the range of variability seen in the creative and flexible ways microblade cores were prepared and the reasons behind this variability. There is a real need to understand the situational context of microblade production and move the focus of investigation on to the microblades themselves, as these are the key components of an effective riskreduction strategy. Combining a typo…
Obsidian Traffic in the Southeast Papuan Islands
Prehistoric obsidian samples from the Trobriand and the northern D’Entrecasteaux Islands are sourced by relative density and PIXE-PIGME to outcrops in the Fergusson Island area. Sites close to the western sources seem to have been supplied by them alone, whereas more distant sites were supplied by a mixture of sources in which the western Fergusson sources predominate over those from the eastern Fergusson area. The dominance of the western source…
Tool Time
The analysis of Quarry 35, located in the arid zone of Australia, is used to gain an understanding of how and why tools were discarded at this location. This aim is achieved by focusing on the different processes of tool discard identified by Shott (1989) to contrast how curation and expediency contributed to the formation of a quarry assemblage. The results show that, although there is a continuum in the degree of retouch and hence their use-liv…
Quarrying masses of information
A detailed study using a non-site distributional approach has focused on Quarry 35, situated in the Mt Wood Range of Sturt National Park, Northwestern New South Wales. The analysis illustrates how accurate recording and appropriate sampling techniques were used to firstly understand the spatial and technological variation in a quarry assemblage and secondly to identify its role as a resource in the wider landscape. The results show that the procu…
New approaches to open site spatial archaeology in Sturt National Park, New South Wales, Australia
Surface scatters of stone artefacts are ubiquitous in the Australian landscape and form the basis for the majority of archaeological conservation decisions. The research reported here proposes a distributional approach for analysing this record founded on the artefact as the minimal recording unit rather than the site. A method of assemblage definition is proposed to permit the study of assemblage composition across space. The method is applied t…
Source to discard
Sturt National Park, located in arid Northwestern New South Wales, has an abundance of stone sources occurring as outcrops and pavements of rounded cobbles (gibber); the flaking quality of the silcrete varies according to its geological characteristics. Detailed studies have focused on the procurement and use of these silcrete sources using a quarry and two nearby lithic scatters in the Stud Creek catchment. The results show that quarry location …
Pleistocene colonisation of the Bismarck Archipelago
The geological and archaeological signatures at the site of Kupona na Dari on the Willaumez Peninsula, West New Britain provide important new data about human colonisation of the Bismarck Archipelago. Analyses of the stratigraphy and weathering of paleosols and manuports, when combined with fission track, radiocarbon, and luminescence dating, indicate that the site was first occupied at about 35–45,000 years ago. During the whole period of occupa…
Moving sources
Flexibility and Creativity in Microblade Core Manufacture in Southern Primorye, Far East Russia
The purely typological approach to microblade technology often obscures the range of variability seen in the creative and flexible ways microblade cores were prepared and the reasons behind this variability. There is a real need to understand the situational context of microblade production and move the focus of investigation on to the microblades themselves, as these are the key components of an effective riskreduction strategy. Combining a typo…
Silcrete quarries and artefact distribution in the Central Queensland Highlands, Eastern Australia
A geoarchaeological study of silcrete in the Central Queensland Highlands highlights the importance of geological context in understanding the procurement, use and transport of artefacts. This study shows, by focusing on a newly discovered silcrete quarry, that silcrete formed beneath basalt by silicification of stream sediments and underlying sandstone. Silcrete outcrops are largely restricted to cliffs where the base of the basalt is exposed, n…
Quarrying masses of information
A detailed study using a non-site distributional approach has focused on Quarry 35, situated in the Mt Wood Range of Sturt National Park, Northwestern New South Wales. The analysis illustrates how accurate recording and appropriate sampling techniques were used to firstly understand the spatial and technological variation in a quarry assemblage and secondly to identify its role as a resource in the wider landscape. The results show that the procu…
A progress report on research into stone artefacts of the southern Arcadia Valley, central Queensland
We report on progress made to date on a collaborative project which aims to shed light on various aspects of lithic technology in the southern Arcadia Valley, central Queensland. Analysis of >4000 stone artefacts indicates that silcrete was an important lithic resource locally. Initial results from portable x-ray fluorescence analysis of a sample of artefacts suggests that this technique may be capable of characterising geochemical signatures for…
Organizing the manufacture of Bondi points at Balmoral Beach, Middle Harbour, Sydney, NSW, Australia
Analysis of the stone artefact assemblage excavated from a stratified midden in a sandstone rockshelter at Balmoral Beach in Middle Harbour, Sydney, has revealed various strategies were adopted in manufacturing asymmetric backed artefacts, also known as Bondi points. The irregular morphology of many Bondi points and the small size of most in this assemblage suggest a need to economize and improvise, which we propose was due to the relatively limi…
Another Dating Revolution for Prehistoric Archaeology
Source selectivity
Artifacts made from volcanic glass have been found in archaeological contexts dating from the Late Palaeolithic (ca. 20,000 yr B.P.) through to the end of the Bronze Age (ca. 2700 yr B.P.) in the southern Primorye region of Far East Russia. A geoarchaeological survey of volcanic glass outcrops assessed the various potential sources to determine their potential for sustained exploitation. A characterization study of source samples and artifacts fr…
Elemental differences
Tool Time
The analysis of Quarry 35, located in the arid zone of Australia, is used to gain an understanding of how and why tools were discarded at this location. This aim is achieved by focusing on the different processes of tool discard identified by Shott (1989) to contrast how curation and expediency contributed to the formation of a quarry assemblage. The results show that, although there is a continuum in the degree of retouch and hence their use-liv…
Paleochannels and Patches
Although Aboriginal occupation dates to the Pleistocene, silcrete artifacts only begin to dominate archaeological sites found in the Cumberland Plain of western Sydney, eastern Australia, during the mid‐late Holocene. These assemblages routinely include large numbers of backed artifacts. A geoarchaeological survey of five potential silcrete source areas found that silcrete is irregularly distributed along ridgelines within gravel patches that rep…
Was Aboriginal population recovery delayed after the Last Glacial Maximum? A synthesis of a terminal Pleistocene deposit from the Sydney Basin, New South Wales, Australia
Remains of a Puzzle
Previous geochemical studies of volcanic glass artifacts dating to the Late Palaeolithic in northeast Asia have revealed a wide distribution of artifacts from sources in China, Korea, and Far East Russia. Through an analysis of lithic technology, this study sheds new light on the variety and complexity of the social, technological, and landscape factors that shaped the long distance movement of stone artifacts
New pieces
Obsidian Traffic in the Southeast Papuan Islands
Prehistoric obsidian samples from the Trobriand and the northern D’Entrecasteaux Islands are sourced by relative density and PIXE-PIGME to outcrops in the Fergusson Island area. Sites close to the western sources seem to have been supplied by them alone, whereas more distant sites were supplied by a mixture of sources in which the western Fergusson sources predominate over those from the eastern Fergusson area. The dominance of the western source…
On the balance of evidence, peopling of Parramatta, Sydney, Australia, occurred after the Last Glacial Maximum
A recent synthesis of archaeological investigations in the centre of Sydney has proposed that initial peopling of this part of southeast Australia focussed on the Hawkesbury-Nepean River system, and only utilised the broader region following the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) in response to demographic packing, ameliorating climate and/or coastal inundation. Two new publications, Quinn et al. (2023) and Owen et al. (2024), have proposed a pre-LGM occ…
Large burin blade cores from south central Queensland
This paper reviews burin blade core reduction methods in Australia, demonstrating that they were used to produce small blades during the mid- to late Holocene, but tended to be limited to a few discrete geographical regions. We present new evidence from two surface sites in south central Queensland that extend this view. At one of these sites the burin blade cores have a very broad size range, and include many specimens that are much larger than …
Where are stone artefacts found? Testing Hall's predictive model of artefact density in the south‐east Australian highlands
We use a non‐site survey methodology and statistical significance testing to evaluate Hall's (1992a) predictive model of stone artefact distributions in the south‐east Australian highlands. The study area is a 19.5 km2 rectangular corridor in the Limestone Creek valley, north‐east Victoria. The study confirms a number of Hall's predictions about the relationship between stone artefact density and environmental factors. The strongest relationship …
New approaches to open site spatial archaeology in Sturt National Park, New South Wales, Australia
Surface scatters of stone artefacts are ubiquitous in the Australian landscape and form the basis for the majority of archaeological conservation decisions. The research reported here proposes a distributional approach for analysing this record founded on the artefact as the minimal recording unit rather than the site. A method of assemblage definition is proposed to permit the study of assemblage composition across space. The method is applied t…
Source to discard
Sturt National Park, located in arid Northwestern New South Wales, has an abundance of stone sources occurring as outcrops and pavements of rounded cobbles (gibber); the flaking quality of the silcrete varies according to its geological characteristics. Detailed studies have focused on the procurement and use of these silcrete sources using a quarry and two nearby lithic scatters in the Stud Creek catchment. The results show that quarry location …
Pleistocene colonisation of the Bismarck Archipelago
The geological and archaeological signatures at the site of Kupona na Dari on the Willaumez Peninsula, West New Britain provide important new data about human colonisation of the Bismarck Archipelago. Analyses of the stratigraphy and weathering of paleosols and manuports, when combined with fission track, radiocarbon, and luminescence dating, indicate that the site was first occupied at about 35–45,000 years ago. During the whole period of occupa…
Tool Time
The analysis of Quarry 35, located in the arid zone of Australia, is used to gain an understanding of how and why tools were discarded at this location. This aim is achieved by focusing on the different processes of tool discard identified by Shott (1989) to contrast how curation and expediency contributed to the formation of a quarry assemblage. The results show that, although there is a continuum in the degree of retouch and hence their use-liv…
Quarrying masses of information
A detailed study using a non-site distributional approach has focused on Quarry 35, situated in the Mt Wood Range of Sturt National Park, Northwestern New South Wales. The analysis illustrates how accurate recording and appropriate sampling techniques were used to firstly understand the spatial and technological variation in a quarry assemblage and secondly to identify its role as a resource in the wider landscape. The results show that the procu…
Obsidian Traffic in the Southeast Papuan Islands
Prehistoric obsidian samples from the Trobriand and the northern D’Entrecasteaux Islands are sourced by relative density and PIXE-PIGME to outcrops in the Fergusson Island area. Sites close to the western sources seem to have been supplied by them alone, whereas more distant sites were supplied by a mixture of sources in which the western Fergusson sources predominate over those from the eastern Fergusson area. The dominance of the western source…
Time to Quarry
The quarry has been considered a cornerstone in understanding lithic production systems. However, the methodological problems associated with the investigation of a quarry assemblage often leads to inadequate recording. The lack of detailed quarry research in Australia focusing on non-axe quarries has meant that they are poorly understood and for this reason a plethora of potentially valuable research regarding the role of the quarry in the organ…
Source selectivity
Artifacts made from volcanic glass have been found in archaeological contexts dating from the Late Palaeolithic (ca. 20,000 yr B.P.) through to the end of the Bronze Age (ca. 2700 yr B.P.) in the southern Primorye region of Far East Russia. A geoarchaeological survey of volcanic glass outcrops assessed the various potential sources to determine their potential for sustained exploitation. A characterization study of source samples and artifacts fr…
Organizing the manufacture of Bondi points at Balmoral Beach, Middle Harbour, Sydney, NSW, Australia
Analysis of the stone artefact assemblage excavated from a stratified midden in a sandstone rockshelter at Balmoral Beach in Middle Harbour, Sydney, has revealed various strategies were adopted in manufacturing asymmetric backed artefacts, also known as Bondi points. The irregular morphology of many Bondi points and the small size of most in this assemblage suggest a need to economize and improvise, which we propose was due to the relatively limi…
Flexibility and Creativity in Microblade Core Manufacture in Southern Primorye, Far East Russia
The purely typological approach to microblade technology often obscures the range of variability seen in the creative and flexible ways microblade cores were prepared and the reasons behind this variability. There is a real need to understand the situational context of microblade production and move the focus of investigation on to the microblades themselves, as these are the key components of an effective riskreduction strategy. Combining a typo…
Innovations in Microblade Core Production at the Tigrovy-8 Late Palaeolithic Quarry in Eastern Russia
The importance of innovative behavior in highly resource-poor seasonal environments is highlighted by the flexible stone working technology at the Tigrovy-8 late Pleistocene basaltic glass quarry, recently discovered in the Primorye region of eastern Russia. Although risky, investing time and energy in developing new flaking techniques was particularly important in this setting, because multiple strategies could help prevent failure in acquiring …
Moving sources
Another Dating Revolution for Prehistoric Archaeology
New pieces
A progress report on research into stone artefacts of the southern Arcadia Valley, central Queensland
We report on progress made to date on a collaborative project which aims to shed light on various aspects of lithic technology in the southern Arcadia Valley, central Queensland. Analysis of >4000 stone artefacts indicates that silcrete was an important lithic resource locally. Initial results from portable x-ray fluorescence analysis of a sample of artefacts suggests that this technique may be capable of characterising geochemical signatures for…
Ventrally thinned flakes from south central Queensland
The process of ventral thinning in Australian lithic technology is usually limited to (i) the preparation of bifacial points or (ii) reduction of the bulbar surface to facilitate hafting. In this paper we describe a number of flakes from south central Queensland (Qld) that exhibit ventral thinning beyond the bulbar region, yet do not fulfil the traditional typological criteria of Australian bifacial points. We then consider how similar artefacts …
Large burin blade cores from south central Queensland
This paper reviews burin blade core reduction methods in Australia, demonstrating that they were used to produce small blades during the mid- to late Holocene, but tended to be limited to a few discrete geographical regions. We present new evidence from two surface sites in south central Queensland that extend this view. At one of these sites the burin blade cores have a very broad size range, and include many specimens that are much larger than …
Silcrete quarries and artefact distribution in the Central Queensland Highlands, Eastern Australia
A geoarchaeological study of silcrete in the Central Queensland Highlands highlights the importance of geological context in understanding the procurement, use and transport of artefacts. This study shows, by focusing on a newly discovered silcrete quarry, that silcrete formed beneath basalt by silicification of stream sediments and underlying sandstone. Silcrete outcrops are largely restricted to cliffs where the base of the basalt is exposed, n…
Where are stone artefacts found? Testing Hall's predictive model of artefact density in the south‐east Australian highlands
We use a non‐site survey methodology and statistical significance testing to evaluate Hall's (1992a) predictive model of stone artefact distributions in the south‐east Australian highlands. The study area is a 19.5 km2 rectangular corridor in the Limestone Creek valley, north‐east Victoria. The study confirms a number of Hall's predictions about the relationship between stone artefact density and environmental factors. The strongest relationship …
Design Theory and the Australian Tula Adze
The tula adze is a distinctive composite tool that was used in the Australian arid zone during the late Holocene. In this paper we use design theory to investigate why this particular tool form was so pervasive across time and space. Design theory provides a rational means for classifying tool designs and for determining why particular tool design classes were employed over others. We draw upon ethnographic and archaeological evidence to characte…
Remains of a Puzzle
Previous geochemical studies of volcanic glass artifacts dating to the Late Palaeolithic in northeast Asia have revealed a wide distribution of artifacts from sources in China, Korea, and Far East Russia. Through an analysis of lithic technology, this study sheds new light on the variety and complexity of the social, technological, and landscape factors that shaped the long distance movement of stone artifacts
Paleochannels and Patches
Although Aboriginal occupation dates to the Pleistocene, silcrete artifacts only begin to dominate archaeological sites found in the Cumberland Plain of western Sydney, eastern Australia, during the mid‐late Holocene. These assemblages routinely include large numbers of backed artifacts. A geoarchaeological survey of five potential silcrete source areas found that silcrete is irregularly distributed along ridgelines within gravel patches that rep…
A composite model of scraper variation
Morphological variation of scrapers from two artefact concentrations in the Stud Creek catchment, northwest New South Wales (NSW) is examined to investigate whether variation in retouch fits best with a segmented, continuum or composite model. Technological and typological analyses are used to characterise morphological variation. The results clearly show that a composite model, associated with a plurality in the purposes of retouching and in the…
Elemental differences
Was Aboriginal population recovery delayed after the Last Glacial Maximum? A synthesis of a terminal Pleistocene deposit from the Sydney Basin, New South Wales, Australia
Archaeology (28 works) · Geography (27 works) · Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology (26 works) · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies (24 works) · Geology (24 works) · Paleontology (11 works) · Pacific and Southeast Asian Studies (10 works) · Holocene (8 works) · Computer Science (7 works) · Physical geography (7 works)