| Summary: | This project focuses on the high-resolution analysis of archaeological marine fauna assemblages, using methodologies situated in an evolutionary ecology theoretical framework. These assemblages come from eight Kaiadilt archaeological sites across the South Wellesley Archipelago, which are a valuable dataset to examine not just dietary composition of foragers in the islands but also long-term patterns in the temporal and spatial availability of subsistence resources. This study also represents the first Australian investigation that applies trophic level analysis to archaeological marine fauna assemblages in order to explore anthropogenic effects on prehistoric fisheries (e.g. Bourque et al. 2008; Reitz et al. 2009; Quitmyer and Reitz 2006). Located in the southern Gulf of Carpentaria, in the central north of Australia the study area for this project focuses on Bentinck, Sweers and Fowler Islands, three of the largest islands in the South Wellesley Archipelago and the traditional home of Kaiadilt people. A three phase cultural chronology spanning the past c. 3,500 years is suggested for the study area, based on a comprehensive suite of 128 radiocarbon dates collected from cultural deposits, combined with results from linguistic studies (see Memmott et al. 2016). This archaeological research undertaken in collaboration with the Kaiadilt Aboriginal community has resulted in the recording of cultural places on their lands. Community engagement has been an integral part of this research and ultimately has contributed to the success of the project. At a regional level this thesis contributes to the discourse about Aboriginal subsistence practices in northern Australia for the late Holocene. The project provides a large dataset similar with those of other studies conducted internationally, and is therefore able to inform other research based within an ecological theory framework. This research aims to (1) identify evidence for human subsistence strategies, in particular the diversity of marine species types exploited ...
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