Marwick, Ben (Centre for Archaeology, University of Western Australia)

X-Ray Fluorescence Analysis of Anthrosols: A New Geoarchaeological Method for Measuring Occupation Magnitude in Stratified Deposits

Finding out how intensely a site was used is important for understanding the meaning of sites in past land-use systems and the significance of activities carried out at the site. Quantification of stone or other types of artefacts as a measure of intensity of site use can be problematic because of the numerous known and unknown variables obscuring the relationship between how many people used the site, for how long, and the formation of the archaeological record. In this poster I describe the results of the application of a new method - X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) analysis of sediments - to the problem of measuring occupation intensity at Marillana A Rockshelter in the inland Pilbara, Western Australia.

***Best Student Poster Prize Winner, Australian Archaeological Association Annual Conference 2002***

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