Current Projects: Chichester Range PAD Excavation Programme

At Chichester Range, East Pilbara, Western Australia for Nyiyaparli Native Title Claimants & Fortescue Metals Group during 2012

Nyiyaparli, FMG and Archae-aus have identified teh need to move beyond heritage compliance excavations in the Chichester Ranges. As part of this the strategic excavation of potential archaeological deposits in rock shelters as been identified as a community directed project.

A proactive excavation and analysis program is required in order to benchmark the content, age, variability and significance of stratified occupational deposits (and histories). The strategic goals of this proactive excavation program are:
a) To make significance assessments of known and future s18 sites;
b) To have comparative collections for analysis and management;
c) To establish a sound baseline for antiquity and nature of occupation;
d) To better understand sub-regional variability in the Pilbara; and
e) To develop land-use models with tighter chronological controls.