ABSTRACT
Between the arrival of humans 45,000-60,000 years ago and the historical period when Aborigines lived in all regions, people spread across Australia, discovering ways to survive in new environments. How quickly did they explore and settle the diverse landscapes? One idea, a ‘marginal settlement’ model, proposed that people spread around the continental margins, preferring familiar coastal habitats. The alternative idea, a ‘saturated settlement’ model, depicted settlers spreading uniformly and rapidly across all landscapes. A major distinction between these models is the time difference between when humans entered the continent, itself subject to debate, and when they occupied each landscape. The saturated settlement model predicts a short time difference; the marginal settlement model predicts a long delay before people occupied the inland. Archaeologists tested these competing models by examining evidence for the antiquity of human settlement in each part of the continent.
