![]() ![]() Uncovering Australia's deep past has influenced national politics, policies and identities. I gasped in disbelief when Mulvaney calls the ABC to report that his northern Queensland dig had had a date of more than 14,000 years, only to be told it was of "no interest" to the public! As Griffiths shows us, nothing could be further from the truth. The journey begins in 1956 with John Mulvaney, then Australia's only trained archaeologist, struggling to form a team and even to fund a vehicle to get them into the field. From Tasmania to the Top End, we are swept up in their passionate endeavours, achievements and occasional failures. Archaeology, as Griffiths put it, has made deep time dreamers of us all.Įach of Griffiths' chapters follows an individual archaeologist's relationship with a region or site across Australia. ![]() And as Griffiths ably shows us, the reverse is also true: the revelation of deep time has indeed meant a profound shift in how Australians relate to their country. So it is that personalities, politics and culture have shaped how archaeologists have read Australia's ancient past. This approach has been integral to the 60 years of collective research that has uncovered 65,000 years of Australian Indigenous continuity and change. ![]()
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