A review by tildahlia
Deep Time Dreaming: Uncovering Ancient Australia by Billy Griffiths

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.