Australian Aboriginal artefacts include a variety of cultural artefacts used by Aboriginal Australians. Most Aboriginal artefacts were multi-purpose and could be used for a variety of different occupations. Spears, clubs, boomerangs and shields were used generally as weapons for hunting and in warfare. Watercraft technology artefacts in the form of dugout and bark canoes were used for transport and for fishing. Stone artefacts include cutting tools and grinding stones to hunt and make food. Coolamons and carriers such as dillybags, allowed Aboriginal peoples to carry water, food and cradle babies. Message sticks were used for communication, and ornamental artefacts for decorative and ceremonial purposes. Aboriginal children’s toys were used to both entertain and educate.
The Gweagal are a clan of the Dharawal people of Aboriginal Australians. Their descendants are traditional custodians of the southern areas of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Claire Smith, is an Australian archaeologist specialising in Indigenous archaeology, symbolic communication and rock art. She served as Dean (Research) of the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences at Flinders University in 2017-2018 and, prior to that, as head of the Department of Archaeology. She served two terms as president of the World Archaeological Congress from 2003 to 2014 and greatly increased the organization's size and visibility. Among her many publications is the Encyclopedia of Global Archaeology.
Leslie William Bursill (OAM) was a Dharawal historian, archaeologist, anthropologist, and publisher, born in Hurstville, New South Wales, in February 1945. His father, Wallace Richard Bursill, was serving in the 7th Division of the Australian Imperial Force (2nd) (AIF) in New Guinea at the time of Bursill's birth. Although Bursill is strongly identified with the Dharawal of southern Sydney, his maternal Dharawal forebears hailed from the area between Kangaroo Valley and the coast near Nowra. Bursill was made a Justice of the Peace at Sutherland Court House in 1976. In 1995, he was appointed Lecturer in Mental Health and Counselling at the University of Sydney. He was awarded the Centenary Medal in 2001. In 2007, he was awarded the NSW Police Commanders Award for excellence in teaching. In 2008, he was appointed Adjunct Lecturer at Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga. In 2009, he was awarded a Premiers Heritage Volunteer Award and also received a Certificate of Excellence for Teaching from the Australian College of Educators. He received the Order of Australia Medal in that same year.
Helena Francisca Hamerow, FSA is an American-born archaeologist, best known for her work on the archeology of early medieval communities in Northwestern Europe. She is Professor of Early Medieval archaeology and former Head of the School of Archaeology, University of Oxford.
Alice Gorman FSA is an Australian archaeologist, heritage consultant, and lecturer, who is best known for pioneering work in the field of space archaeology and her Space Age Archaeology blog. Based at Flinders University, she is an expert in Indigenous stone tool analysis, but better known for her research into the archaeology of orbital debris, terrestrial launch sites, and satellite tracking stations. Gorman teaches modern material culture studies, cultural heritage management, and Australian stone tools. Gorman is also a founding member of the Archaeology, Science and Heritage Council of For All Moonkind, Inc., a nonprofit organisation developing and seeking to implement an international convention to protect human cultural heritage in outer space.
Josephine Mary Flood, is an English-born Australian archaeologist, mountaineer, and author.
Jeannette Hope is an Australian archaeologist who has worked extensively in Western New South Wales. She is a former editor and executive of the journal of the Australian Archaeological Association, and has published extensively on that region as well as issues of gender in archaeology. She did her Bachelor of Science and PhD at Monash University and has been an honorary research associate at the University of Sydney. She also has prepared the seminal work on the Aboriginal fish traps at Brewarrina, New South Wales.
Madjedbebe is a sandstone rock shelter in Arnhem Land, in the Northern Territory of Australia, possibly the oldest site of human habitation in Australia. It is located about 50 kilometres (31 mi) from the coast. It is part of the lands traditionally inhabited by the Mirarr, an Aboriginal Australian clan of the Gaagudju people, of the Gunwinyguan language group. Although it is surrounded by the World Heritage Listed Kakadu National Park, Madjedbebe itself is located within the Jabiluka Mineral Leasehold.
Susan Marian Oosthuizen is Emeritus Professor of Medieval Archaeology at the University of Cambridge. She specialises in examining the origins and development of early medieval and medieval landscapes, and in the evolution of systems of governance.
Sarah Tarlow is a British archaeologist and academic. As professor of historical archaeology at the University of Leicester, Tarlow is best known for her work on the archaeology of death and burial. In 2012, Tarlow was awarded the chair in archaeology at the University of Leicester.
Laila Haglund is an archaeologist who played a key role in establishing consulting archaeology in Australia, and in drafting Queensland's first legislation to protect Aboriginal cultural heritage.
Lynn Meskell is an Australian archaeologist and anthropologist who currently works as a Professor at the University of Pennsylvania.
Caroline Bird is an Australian archaeologist and educator. She specialises in women's studies, cultural heritage, and indigenous studies in the archaeological context, specifically early Australian archaeology. Bird's other focuses include lithic technology and art.
Stephanie Moser is an archaeology professor and head of the department at the University of Southampton, England. Her work explores the exhibition and reception of the human past. Moser's research examines visual images from antiquity through the lens of modern anthropology.
Anne (Annie) Clarke is an Australian archaeologist and heritage specialist. She is a professor of archaeology and heritage at the University of Sydney. Clarke is a leading scholar in Australian archaeology, both historical and Aboriginal, as well as critical heritage studies. She has specialisms in archaeobotany, contact archaeology and rock art.
Sarah A. Scott is an archaeologist and academic. She is an associate professor of archaeology at the University of Leicester. Scott has a BSc degree from Leicester and completed her DPhil at University of Oxford in 1992. She taught at the University of Durham before moving to Leicester. In 2015 she became a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and in 2016 was in receipt of Advance HE's National Teaching Fellowship award. Scott was elected as a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London on 5 May 2002.
Sara Perry is an archaeologist. Her research focuses on public archaeology and the use of digital media in archaeology and heritage. She is the Director of Research and Engagement at Museum of London Archaeology.
Tiina Manne is an archaeologist and zooarchaeologist. She is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Queensland.
Ronika K. Power is an Australian archaeologist who is a Professor of Bioarchaeology in the Department of History and Archaeology and Director of the Centre for Ancient Cultural Heritage and Environment at Macquarie University. Power is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London and the Royal Society of New South Wales.
