Exactly when Australia was colonised, whether 40,000 or 100,000 years ago, will be just one of the hot debates for experts when they meet in Sydney next week for the Sixth Australasian Archaeometry Conference at the Australian Museum.
Archaeometry, the science of dating and characterising ancient artefacts, has made international headlines in recent years with the dating of such treasured artefacts as the Shroud of Turin, reputed to be that in which Jesus Christ was buried and the Crown of the Holy Roman Emperor, Charlemagne.
The conference, which begins February 10-13 will cover other topical issues such as the dating of Maori colonisation in New Zealand, Aboriginal rock art dating, nuclear techniques used in dating, the functions of ancient stone tools and ancient mining techniques.
More than 100 delegates from Australia and New Zealand, including 10 international experts, will attend the conference which has been jointly organised by the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO), the Australian Institute of Nuclear Science and Engineering (AINSE) and the Australian Museum.
Highlights of the conference will be:
- A public evening forum on the Human Colonisation of Australia and Oceania to be held at the Australian Museum on 13 February. The session, to be chaired by Professor Rhys Jones of the Australian National University, will explore the impact of colonisation as determined by the scientific measurement and characterisation of materials dating across the period. Optical dating by Professor Rhys Jones in 1994 suggested human colonisation of Australia occurred 50,000-60,000 years ago. However, recent results by Dr Richard Fullagar of the Australian Museum suggest even earlier dates: more than 100,000 years ago. Other arguments suggest there is no evidence of human occupation before 40,000 years ago.
- A public lecture on AMS (Accelerator Mass Spectrometry) radiocarbon dating as applied to textiles, artwork and artefacts. Dr Timothy Jull of the University of Arizona, who in 1989 dated the Shroud of Turin, will deliver the lecture. In recognition of the important role nuclear techniques now play in archaeometry, conference delegates will visit ANSTOs AMS facility at Lucas Heights.
ANSTOs tandem accelerator has accurately analysed thousands of samples since it became fully operational in 1993. One of the most recent samples was from the Crown of the Holy Roman Emperor, Charlemagne, which ANSTOs Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) group dated at between 699 and 776 AD.