Preface
Archaeologists and historians sometimes grow weary of their publications being read only by other archaeologists and historians. In this book the authors have tried to write for a wider readership: in particular we have had in mind the need for local studies that can be used by students in the last two years of high school. We have also wished to reach a far wider section of the reading public in general than is usually reached by publications written by people in our professions. Nevertheless, we have tried to produce work that is based on sound archaeological and historical research.
Historical archaeology is a new field of interest in Australia and this book aims to demonstrate the varied paths of inquiry by which we can build up history on a subject for whivh no history exists. We have used archaeological field research, study in historical archives and libraries, oral tradition and comparative museum data to piece together a picture of early European settlement in a particular part of Australia. We hope that this 'study in historical archaeology' will demonstrate something of the nature of this fascinating new subject and also show how such material history can throw light on the nature of cultural adaptation to a new environment. In short, this book is at least partly a case-study of how English people, and others, became Australians.
CONTENTS
- Introduction
Graham Connah - The site and the building.
Graham Connah - The survey and the excavation.
Graham Connah - Evidence from excavated objects.
Michael Rowland - William Richards of Winterbourne - sea captain and squatter.
Jillian Oppenheimer - Appendix 1.
Jillian Oppenheimer - Appendix 2.
Graham Connah