The Australian Archaeologist's Book of Quotations

Book excerpt: "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 2015 ? ? ? ?(Series: Australian History) Subject: History, Archaeology, Australian Studies, Aboriginal Studies]