Investigating the world's first maritime network in Pleistocene Wallacea

该项目将调查世界上第一个位于澳大利亚北部岛屿上的海上交换网络。从大约16,000年前开始，由奇异的黑玉石(火山玻璃)制成的工具出现在三个华勒底群岛南部的考古组合中，个人装饰和鱼钩的标准化物品也是如此。黑铁矿是从哪里获得的，网络延伸到了什么程度，目前尚不清楚。该项目希望解决这一问题，并确定该网络与文化和海平面变化的其他方面的关系。通过地质来源、地球化学分析和多岛挖掘，我们将揭示这一非凡网络的强度和覆盖范围，以了解我们地区贸易的起源。

This project will investigate the world’s first maritime exchange network located in the islands to Australia’s north. From ~16,000 years ago, tools made from exotic obsidian (volcanic glass) appear in the archaeological assemblages of three southern Wallacean islands, as do standardised items of personal decoration and fishhooks. Where the obsidian was acquired and how far the network extended are currently unknown. This project hopes to resolve this and determine how the network relates to other aspects of culture and changing sea levels. Through geological sourcing, geo-chemical analysis and multi-island excavations we will reveal the intensity and reach of this remarkable network to understand the origins of trade in our region.