Here down south we were all watching the World Cup! You know that game
played with a round ball using field hockey positions by a bunch of prima
donnas. The whole of Australia has gone mad over it, the libraries are
deserted! Who cares about the pressing problems of research designs in
historical archaeology in the face of sports madness?

 

Adrian's post is very interesting as a number of suggestions have been made
for regional or industry based archaeological research designs but as far as
I can recall none have really been developed. There are some general
typologies for some industrial sites but these lack research context. The
nearest I can think of are the various archaeological zoning or
archaeological management plans for urban areas which incorporate an overall
research design both to assess potential significance and to direct
management actions. The most developed is the Parramatta Historical
Archaeological Land Management System (PHALMS) produced by my former
employer Godden Mackay Logan.

 

PHALMS suffers from a number of problems mostly relating to its
implementation and availability. A notable issue is that it is weakest when
dealing with Parramatta's history after c1870 and especially in the early
20th c. In this it follows the body of historical research which is perhaps
not surprising (and poses and interesting question in itself). The question
of what to do with 20th c archaeology has not really been worked out fully. 

 

Another category I would add in Arians list is that of agriculture. On the
fringe of Parramatta and in many of the goldfields towns there are lots
which are used for grazing cattle, goats, pigs etc to provide milk and meat
and there are also 'market gardens', typically run by Chinese, that provided
vegetables. There were also lots used for fruit trees. In the absence of
refrigeration or rapid transport to markets this fringe area is ideal for
agricultural activities because it is so close to the consumers.

 

I would be interested in Adrian keeping us posted as well as explaining the
difference between a city and a town is. 

 

yours

 

Dr Iain Stuart

JCIS Consultants

P.O. Box 2397

Burwood North

NSW 2134

ph/fax 97010191

iain.stuart@bigpond .com