I used to begin a course on Australian economic history in the accepted
manner with the European explorations of the eighteenth century until
one day the archaeologist, John Mulvaney, enquired what I said about the
earlier 99 per cent of time embraced by the human history of Australia.
-- Geoffrey Blainey, 1975 *** The discoverers, explorers and
colonists of the three million square miles which are Australia, were
its Aborigines. -- John Mulvaney, 1969 *** Perhaps we should call
what the Aborigines did 'fire-stick farming'. -- Rhys Jones, 1969 ***
Australian archaeology has been involved in a great enterprise over the
last 60 years, uncovering the deep past of a desert continent and the
history of its first people. This book is a guide to the catchphrases of
the discipline. It is a meditation on science and place, culture and
politics, deep time and the Dreaming - and it is steeped in an
appreciation of good writing and a well-turned phrase. Woven in among
these quotations is the story of how Australians, as a nation, are
coming to terms with ancient Australia. The entries are drawn from
letters, journals, histories, poems, newspapers, and novels. Each has
been chosen because it is a pithy summation of an issue. Combined, these
map the development of the field and encourage a dialogue between
science and the humanities. *** Librarians: ebook available on
ProQuest and EBSCO *** The Australian Archaeologist's Book of
Quotations is a veritable time-traveller's guide for making sense of a
continent, a nation, and its people. The editors, archaeologist Mike
Smith and historian Billy Griffiths, have served up a smorgasbord of
archaeological appetisers, with a feast of pithy insights into how
Australians are coming to terms with ancient Australia. -- Ruth A.
Morgan, Australian Book Review, October 2015Ã?Â?Ã?Â?(Series: Australian
History) [Subject: History, Archaeology, Australian Studies, Aboriginal
Studies]
