Wet underfoot? Earth mound sites and the recent prehistory of southwestern Victoria

Abstract

Artificially constructed earth mounds are found in a number of areas in Austalia and are associated with wetlands and localities which have a high rainfall and poorly drained soils. Sites range in size from 3m to 100m in diameter and 0.2 to 3 m in height. Previous work suggested that mounds first appeared during the mid to late Holocene. Some authors (e.g. Lourandos 1983: 85-87) see the introduction of mounds as linked to an increase in production in prehistoric economies, or 'intensification'. My Ph.D research comprised a detailed study of mounds in one region, southwestern Victoria. Ethnographic accounts note that mounds here were used for a variety of purposes, including ovens, general camping areas and as foundations for substantial huts. Archaeological work, including survey, excavation, and geochemical and magnetic sampling of sediments, shewed that mounds were used for the above purposes in the prehistoric past. The study confirmed that mounds appear relatively late in the prehistoric sequence, after 2500 yBP. All but one site first appeared after 2000 yBP. This is well after the introduction of certain technological changes such as the 'Australian small tool tradition', which probably entered the region between 4 to 5000 years ago. The appearance of mounds does not appear to be linked with this technological change and mounds instead seem to be part of a sequence of generalised changes in site types and numbers first appearing in the region about 2500 years ago. My research suggests that these changes reflected shifts in a number of aspects of prehistoric societies, including changes in the organisation of camps and the use of labour,and a shift to a more long-term occupation of settlements. At present there is too little information to determine whether only one prime mover was involved. Some authors (e.g. Beaton 1983) maintain that 'population pressure' was the major prime mover, while others (e.g. Lourandos 1983, 1984) argue that changes were caused by shifts in alliance networks, leading to 'intensification'. I believe that both these factors were probably involved and that an environmental shift to a wetter climate about 2000 years ago, also contributed to these changes. Show more