Fig 1.
Map of the archaeological sites within the dataset between 12-0ka.
Data in red indicate sites referenced in the main text: 1) New Guinea II Rockshelter; 2) Kenniff Cave; 3) Native Wells rockshelters; 4) Dabangay shell mounds; 5) Carpenters Gap 1 Rockshelter; 6) Puntutjarpa Rockshelter; 7) Malangangerr Rockshelter; 8) Arkaroo Rock; 9) Serpents’ Glen Rockshelter; 10) Glen Thirsty Well; 11) Puritjarra Rockshelter; 12) Bush Turkey 3 Rockshelter; 13) Devon Downs Rockshelter; 14) Roonka Flat Dune open site; 15) Koongine Cave; 16) Allen’s Cave; 17) Madura Cave; 18) Norina Cave; 19) Marillana A Rockshelter; 20) Loggers Shelter; 21) RTA G1; 22) Sassafras 1 Rockshelter; 23) Yengo 1 Rockshelter; 24) Warragarra Rockshelter; 25) Nimji Rockshelter; 26) Skew Valley midden; 27) Hooka Point midden; 28) Canunda Rocks midden; 29) Clybucca midden; 30) Muyu-ajirrapa midden; 31) Jordan River midden. See S1 Text for references.
Table 1.
A summary of the analysis by time-slice, including the number of data clusters; the size of the MBRs; absolute populations based on work by Williams [8] (and assuming a 50ka colonisation of Australia by 2–3,000 people); and average population density using Williams’ data divided by the continent size of 7.7 million km2.
Fig 2.
Demographic change, ranging areas and sites with repeated or ongoing occupation based on archaeological radiocarbon data for Australia between 12-0ka.
A) Average annual growth rates (GRAnn) from Williams [8], showing stepwise population increase through the Holocene. B) Quantitative population estimates using a range of founding populations (n = 50, 500, 1000, 2000, 3,000, 5,000) from Williams [8]. Williams considered founding populations of between 2,000–3,000 most likely, resulting in populations of 0.5–1.5 million through the late Holocene, higher than at any previous time since colonisation. C) Total area of Minimum Bounding Rectangles (MBRs), considered to represent population ranging area or territory using over-lapping (2,000 year) time slices between 12 and 5ka, and firm (500 year) time slices between 5 and 0ka; D) The number of archaeological sites with two or more radiocarbon data within a given time slice (moving firm 500 year time slices), and considered to reflect longer residence time and/or more permanent occupation. Key climatic events are also shown, including Holocene climatic optimum (HCO), El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), Medieval Climatic Anomaly (MCA), and Little Ice Age (LIA).
Fig 3.
A selection of time-slice maps showing the changing MBR locations and sizes at 9-7ka, 6-4ka, 3.5-3ka, 3–2.5ka, 1.5-1ka and 1–0.5ka.
The size of the MBRs here have been used to create Fig 2C.