Unearthing Prehistoric Cultural Landscapes: A View from Australia

The aim of this paper is to draw together current work in physical and cultural geography in pursuit of a more sophisticated analysis of prehistoric cultural landscapes than has hitherto been possible. Examples from Australian prehistory are used here as they offer a perspective very different to those dominant in the northern hemisphere. A discussion of the antiquity of the Aboriginal Dreaming provides an example of attempts to integrate physical and socio-cultural approaches. It is argued that even the earliest human transformations of the physical landscape should be seen as the outcome of social processes. The implications of this approach for future research are discussed. -from Author