Advent of Anadara mounds and theories on mid-late Holocene changes in forager economic strategies - a comment

Recently, Veitch (1999) has argued that the large Anadara mounds of north Australia represent widespread change in foraging behaviour in the mid- to late Holocene, characterised by an increased focus on small-bodied organisms such as the marine mollusc Anadara granosa. Veitch’s (1999) preferred social explanation for the appearance of these mounds, as opposed to environmental explanations such as changes in local ecological habitats (e.g. Hiscock 1999; O’Connor 1999), is linked chronologically to increased reliance on seed grinding in the arid zone and the appearance of points in northern Australia. It is seen as part of the proposed widespread mid- to late Holocene changes in forager economic strategies and population size (Lourandos 1983, 1985). Others, such as O’Connor (O’Connor 1999; O’Connor and Sullivan 1994) have pointed out the links between the appearance of the mounds and evidence for environmental change on the coast, of increasing aridity and northward movement of the northwest Australian monsoon, and lack of correlation with the timing of appearance of points.

*Note that an abstract was not included with this paper, and so the introductory paragraph has been included here instead of the abstract.