Australian cultural heritage includes
close to 60,000 years of human history, starting with the
colonisation of the continent by the ancestors of Aboriginal
Australians through to the maritime and industrial archaeology of
more recent times.
Explore Australian cultural heritage
through the links, FAQs and Fact sheets on this page.
Anthropology is the study of human
society, including archaeology. In an Australian heritage context,
anthropology most commonly relates to the study of Aboriginal
cultural heritage through the sharing and recording of stories,
family histories, cultural connections and Dreamtime. Anthropologists
work closely with communities to help document and explore the
cultural link between the past and present. This kind of study adds
the very important ‘human’ overlay to the object-based evidence
of archaeology. The two together best describe the past.
An archaeological site is a place that
has evidence that past or ancient peoples were there. When
archaeologists find clusters of artefacts together in the same place,
they may call this collection an archaeological site. Sometimes there
are no portable objects left, but there is evidence of a structure,
building or road. However, an archaeological site does not need to
have permanent structures; it can be an ancient campsite that was
used on one occasion. The evidence left behind can be analysed and
interpreted by archaeologists to work out who used a particular
place, what they did there and how long ago they stayed there.
An artefact is an object that people in
the past created and/or used. Artefacts are a primary source of
evidence that can be used to interpret what happened in the past. In
Australia, artefacts can include flaked stone artefacts, bone that
has been modified, rock art, grindstones, stone arrangements, glass
bottles, coins, pottery, bricks, timber and metalwork.
