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tildahlia's review against another edition
3.0
An eye-opening exploration of archaeological examination of Aboriginal history. It's pretty confronting to realise it really only started from the 1960s and cringeworthy to read of the arrogance and bluster that drove much of it (no consultation with Traditional Owners, expressly doing prohibited things, destroying significant sites etc). The book is well-written and explains the mind-blowing discoveries that have revealed the oldest continuous living culture is right here in Australia, undervalued and underappreciated for its significance. The tensions between a desire to preserve/discover Aboriginal artefacts while respecting the wishes and beliefs of the owners of those artefacts (many of whom have been burnt by terrible past experiences) was particularly interesting.
emmalin's review against another edition
5.0
Amazing book. I’ve learnt so much about ancient Australia and it’s inspired me to study archaeology in uni
declanmj's review against another edition
4.0
An interesting narrative history of Australian Archaeology. My favourite parts were the numerous asides and anecdotes. The biggest failing of the book is its clear desire to strictly separate the Pre-Mulvaney era of Australian Archaeology from what came before. It seems as a way of attempting to exonerate modern archaeology of the sins of its past and perhaps to shrink the narrative down to a more digestible size. I recommend the book but advise caution in taking its claims at face value.
fourtriplezed's review against another edition
4.0
My archaeological reading in the past has been purely British and for that I can thank my dad who left me a library of his books on the subject. That was later boosted with regular watching’s of Time Team, a popular show here in Australia back in the day. I also eventually devoured the works of Francis Prior after a visit to Flag Fen when making a visit to the UK many years back.
No complaints, but this book has made me realise that I have missed reading about what has happened in Australia and how as a nation archaeology has had a huge impact in terms of both the cultural and political understanding of both the past and the present.
The only negatives I have taken from Billy Griffiths very good history are two. The Epilogue was written for the release in 2018, a mere nanosecond in the scheme of things when it concerns the passing of archaeological time, but a lifetime in changes to the thoughts on the culture and history of a nation. With such deep research and reading of many texts on the subject, as shown in the superb end notes, that a bibliography would have been extremely useful to the likes of me that would be more than willing to read further on this enthralling subject.
But let’s put those minor gripes aside because this has been a fascinating read for me personally, and I would add that I would fail to understand how it could not be for anyone with a modicum of interest in understanding the history of Australia’s deep past via archaeological research.
It could be said that there has been a slow change in national consciousness concerning Australian History. The convict past of white Australia was very much put to the back of that consciousness due to a national embarrassment that British colonisation of the continent was via the transport of the so-called dregs of that nation, with this criminal class being the backbone of so-called modern development. As to what came before, there was seemingly a rejection that the original inhabitants could have had any kind of history at all. Vere Gordon Childe wrote in 1957 ‘I’m sure it’s something worth studying and preserving…..particularly the “Aboriginal” Rock pictures’ but there were but 3 or 4 people working in the field with next to no training nor adequate resources back then.
Things changed slowly from the coming of John Mulvaney who had been in Britain in WW2 and had immersed himself in ancient cathedrals and castles. On return, he took an interest in archaeology and his contributions to small diggings back in the mid 1950’s have led to larger archaeological works and the resources required that at present are striving to give an understanding of this ancient land's Deep Time and, as the title says, it's dreaming via the first nations' knowledge of antiquity.
One event that took my particular attention was Chapter Eight, "You Have Entered Aboriginal Land”.
I have youthful memories of the controversy that was the attempt by the Tasmanian state government to dam the Gordon below Franklin River in the early 1980s. It has been said that that controversy was part of the reason why the then Federal Government lost the election in 1983. In a high court decision of great significance, the archaeological work that had been done at both Kutikina Cave and Deena Reena Cave were deemed to show that to inundate these would have been in breach of Australia’s obligations under the World Heritage Properties Conservation Act. One judge stated that ‘Parliament was entitled to act…..to preserve the material evidence of the history and culture of the Tasmanian Aboriginals.’ After a Tasmanian Hydro-Electric official stated he saw no good reason to keep the caves, ‘What good does it do to anyone?’ he said. John Mulvaney was aghast that after 3 decades of working in the field there was still a lack of understanding as to what archaeology could achieve in the way of cross-cultural understanding, cultural pride, and local, national and global narratives. Indeed.
A very easy to read book that has been well researched, and I can but do no more than highly recommend to anyone with an interest in Archaeology.
No complaints, but this book has made me realise that I have missed reading about what has happened in Australia and how as a nation archaeology has had a huge impact in terms of both the cultural and political understanding of both the past and the present.
The only negatives I have taken from Billy Griffiths very good history are two. The Epilogue was written for the release in 2018, a mere nanosecond in the scheme of things when it concerns the passing of archaeological time, but a lifetime in changes to the thoughts on the culture and history of a nation. With such deep research and reading of many texts on the subject, as shown in the superb end notes, that a bibliography would have been extremely useful to the likes of me that would be more than willing to read further on this enthralling subject.
But let’s put those minor gripes aside because this has been a fascinating read for me personally, and I would add that I would fail to understand how it could not be for anyone with a modicum of interest in understanding the history of Australia’s deep past via archaeological research.
It could be said that there has been a slow change in national consciousness concerning Australian History. The convict past of white Australia was very much put to the back of that consciousness due to a national embarrassment that British colonisation of the continent was via the transport of the so-called dregs of that nation, with this criminal class being the backbone of so-called modern development. As to what came before, there was seemingly a rejection that the original inhabitants could have had any kind of history at all. Vere Gordon Childe wrote in 1957 ‘I’m sure it’s something worth studying and preserving…..particularly the “Aboriginal” Rock pictures’ but there were but 3 or 4 people working in the field with next to no training nor adequate resources back then.
Things changed slowly from the coming of John Mulvaney who had been in Britain in WW2 and had immersed himself in ancient cathedrals and castles. On return, he took an interest in archaeology and his contributions to small diggings back in the mid 1950’s have led to larger archaeological works and the resources required that at present are striving to give an understanding of this ancient land's Deep Time and, as the title says, it's dreaming via the first nations' knowledge of antiquity.
One event that took my particular attention was Chapter Eight, "You Have Entered Aboriginal Land”.
I have youthful memories of the controversy that was the attempt by the Tasmanian state government to dam the Gordon below Franklin River in the early 1980s. It has been said that that controversy was part of the reason why the then Federal Government lost the election in 1983. In a high court decision of great significance, the archaeological work that had been done at both Kutikina Cave and Deena Reena Cave were deemed to show that to inundate these would have been in breach of Australia’s obligations under the World Heritage Properties Conservation Act. One judge stated that ‘Parliament was entitled to act…..to preserve the material evidence of the history and culture of the Tasmanian Aboriginals.’ After a Tasmanian Hydro-Electric official stated he saw no good reason to keep the caves, ‘What good does it do to anyone?’ he said. John Mulvaney was aghast that after 3 decades of working in the field there was still a lack of understanding as to what archaeology could achieve in the way of cross-cultural understanding, cultural pride, and local, national and global narratives. Indeed.
A very easy to read book that has been well researched, and I can but do no more than highly recommend to anyone with an interest in Archaeology.
corrinda's review against another edition
5.0
This is a fabulous book. Accessible, but shares deep knowledge and details of indigenous culture, archeological sites and scientific methods. loved the parallel story telling of politics, culture, science, and archaeological discoveries. The sense of place and time was palpable. Everyone should read!
pinksappho's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
3.0
_astridedwards_'s review against another edition
4.0
What is the common heritage of mankind? And who are the gatekeepers of that knowledge? These are the questions Deep Time Dreaming forces us to consider. There are no easy answers, particularly as the early decades of archaeology in Australia are rife with questionable practices and methodologies that leave their mark on the discipline – and the physical sites – to this day.
As Griffiths quotes (on page 128), ‘Australia – virtually ignored by prehistorians until the 1960s as a tedious archaeological backwater – is now the focus of the quest to unravel the prehistory of mankind’. Griffiths explores the growing recognition of Australia’s deep past, once considered an empty continent and now proven to be home to the oldest continuing cultures in human history.
The book follows the careers of the most prominent archaeologists working in Australia in the 20th century. This chronological approach highlights the extraordinary development of the discipline – begun by 20th century museum curators literally digging up whatever they found to 21st century researchers rewriting the timeline of humanity itself.
At times, this means Deep Time Dreaming reads as the narrative of inadequately trained white men (many who were not even born in Australia) plundering a past they did not understand. It is mind boggling to consider, but in the early years most of the motley museum curators, historians and want-to-be Indiana Joneses who dug up the deep past had never even met – or tried to meet – an Aboriginal person.
As a reader, this made for a tough few chapters. However, Deep Time Dreaming is worth pursuing. The structure serves to highlight a key point: archaeology in Australia was a white man’s playground for decades. The mistakes made – as much as the discoveries found – leave their mark on the discipline today. My interest as a reader increased as female archaeologists began to make their presence felt, especially Isabel McBryde, who was one of the first archaeologists to connect with the traditional owners on whose land she worked.
There are fewer Indigenous voices in this narrative than I expected. Noel Pearson’s 2004 Quarterly Essay is quoted, as is Stan Grant’s 2016 memoir. However the Indigenous archaeologists trained by McBryde and specifically mentioned by Griffiths as representing her major contribution to the field don’t have a voice.
Deep Time Dreaming was an education for me, highlighting how archaeology and the uncovering of Australia’s deep past has influenced (and been influenced in turn) by politics. Most profoundly, the development of the discipline has gone hand in hand with Aboriginal politics and the changing meaning of identify in Australia. The most moving example is, of course, that of Mungo Lady. She was found and excavated almost by accident in 1968, at the beginning of the Aboriginal rights movement when notions of consent and ownership began to change. Mungo Lady was eventually returned in 1992 in a symbolic act: her remains were reburied in a ‘keeping place’ locked with two keys, one held by the community and one by scientists.
Archaeology is not a static discipline. It is unfolding around us, and as recently as 2017 archaeological research in Australia is pushing back the date of humanity’s past to 65,000 years. These new discoveries in our own backyard force us to reevaluate the tensions between science and culture. Does the deep time record belong to humanity, to the distant descendants inhabiting the same land, or to both? Who should make decisions about access and methodology? And how should we, as Australians, understand and share the history of our continent?
Deep Time Dreaming leaves me with questions, as a work of this import should.
This review was first published on The Garret (www.thegarretpodcast.com) in February 2018.
As Griffiths quotes (on page 128), ‘Australia – virtually ignored by prehistorians until the 1960s as a tedious archaeological backwater – is now the focus of the quest to unravel the prehistory of mankind’. Griffiths explores the growing recognition of Australia’s deep past, once considered an empty continent and now proven to be home to the oldest continuing cultures in human history.
The book follows the careers of the most prominent archaeologists working in Australia in the 20th century. This chronological approach highlights the extraordinary development of the discipline – begun by 20th century museum curators literally digging up whatever they found to 21st century researchers rewriting the timeline of humanity itself.
At times, this means Deep Time Dreaming reads as the narrative of inadequately trained white men (many who were not even born in Australia) plundering a past they did not understand. It is mind boggling to consider, but in the early years most of the motley museum curators, historians and want-to-be Indiana Joneses who dug up the deep past had never even met – or tried to meet – an Aboriginal person.
As a reader, this made for a tough few chapters. However, Deep Time Dreaming is worth pursuing. The structure serves to highlight a key point: archaeology in Australia was a white man’s playground for decades. The mistakes made – as much as the discoveries found – leave their mark on the discipline today. My interest as a reader increased as female archaeologists began to make their presence felt, especially Isabel McBryde, who was one of the first archaeologists to connect with the traditional owners on whose land she worked.
There are fewer Indigenous voices in this narrative than I expected. Noel Pearson’s 2004 Quarterly Essay is quoted, as is Stan Grant’s 2016 memoir. However the Indigenous archaeologists trained by McBryde and specifically mentioned by Griffiths as representing her major contribution to the field don’t have a voice.
Deep Time Dreaming was an education for me, highlighting how archaeology and the uncovering of Australia’s deep past has influenced (and been influenced in turn) by politics. Most profoundly, the development of the discipline has gone hand in hand with Aboriginal politics and the changing meaning of identify in Australia. The most moving example is, of course, that of Mungo Lady. She was found and excavated almost by accident in 1968, at the beginning of the Aboriginal rights movement when notions of consent and ownership began to change. Mungo Lady was eventually returned in 1992 in a symbolic act: her remains were reburied in a ‘keeping place’ locked with two keys, one held by the community and one by scientists.
Archaeology is not a static discipline. It is unfolding around us, and as recently as 2017 archaeological research in Australia is pushing back the date of humanity’s past to 65,000 years. These new discoveries in our own backyard force us to reevaluate the tensions between science and culture. Does the deep time record belong to humanity, to the distant descendants inhabiting the same land, or to both? Who should make decisions about access and methodology? And how should we, as Australians, understand and share the history of our continent?
Deep Time Dreaming leaves me with questions, as a work of this import should.
This review was first published on The Garret (www.thegarretpodcast.com) in February 2018.
sharon_geitz's review against another edition
4.0
Puts archaeology into the broader cultural and political context - informative.