Pattern and context in the holocene proliferation of backed artifacts in Australia

Peter Hiscock

doi:10.1525/ap3a.2002.12.1.163

Pattern and context in the holocene proliferation of backed artifacts in Australia

Peter Hiscock^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

88 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Australian backed artifacts appear in the terminal Pleistocene but “proliferate” to become the dominant retouched form in the southeast of the continent only in the mid-Holocene. This change was triggered by the onset of an ENSO-dominated climatic pattern 4, 000 to 5, 000 years ago, and increased backed artifact production was one of a number of strategies that reduced risk during the mid-Holocene. Adoption of technologies featuring standardized kinds of artifacts was advantageous at that time, but the parallel response of the different technological systems in southern and northern Australia reveals historical contingency in the evolutionary trends.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	163-177
Number of pages	15
Journal	Archeological Papers of the American Anthropological Association
Volume	12
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1525/ap3a.2002.12.1.163
Publication status	Published - Jan 2002

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Pattern and context in the holocene proliferation of backed artifacts in Australia

Abstract

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