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Martin Porr

@martinporr.bsky.social
2.2K followers 2.9K following 215 posts

Associate Professor of Archaeology University of Western Australia Centre for Rock Art Research + Management Frobenius Institut für kulturanthropologische Forschung (Goethe Universität Frankfurt) Universität Tübingen uwa.academia.edu/MartinPorr

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Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 14h
theconversation.com/why-indiana-...
theconversation.com
Why Indiana Jones is the best and worst thing to happen to archaeology
The idea of archaeology as adventure predates the discipline itself.
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Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 12/10/2026
theconversation.com/hunter-gathe...
theconversation.com
Hunter-gatherer societies are often put on a pedestal as paragons of equality – but the reality is more complicated
Hunter-gatherers do not always seek total equality, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t egalitarian.
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Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
More interesting research that shows the relevance of understanding the deep past to understand the present and for making sustainable decisions for the future theconversation.com/colonisation...
theconversation.com
Colonisation, not climate change, first primed these forests to burn
For more than 800 years, frequent cultural burning kept this land as stable, open woodland.
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Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
I'm truly thrilled to have just received this brilliant new book by Peter Sahlins. It is very much a labour of love and provides one of the most detailed intellectual histories of the seemingly never-ending concern with Neanderthals from the very beginning to the present.
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Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...,
theguardian.com
False claims about Aboriginal rock art and aliens were once fringe. Researchers fear AI could push them mainstream
Archeologists warn AI summaries can repeat false claims about 12,000-year-old rock art from Western Australia’s Kimberley region being painted by aliens
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Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
mailchi.mp/0396928326f8...
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Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
theconversation.com/more-than-2-...
theconversation.com
More than 2 million Indigenous people lived in Australia in 1788: new research
Genetic, archaeological and environmental evidence suggest the Indigenous population fell by more than 90% In the 70 years after the British invaded.
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Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
This is really as bad as it gets: "The 72-year-old One Nation leader, who has a history of making controversial statements about Indigenous Australians, said they were the “most primitive race on earth” and had “achieved nothing”. Truly nasty and derogatory. www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
theguardian.com
Pauline Hanson’s comments about Indigenous Australians condemned as ‘nasty’ and ‘derogatory’
Indigenous senators have criticised One Nation leader, saying the comments showed ‘wilful ignorance’
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Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
Job advert for a senior professorship position in Palaeolithic Archaeology at the University of Tübingen, Germany! uni-tuebingen.de/en/universit...
uni-tuebingen.de
W3-Professorship in Early Prehistory
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Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
On Wednesday, I had the great honour to be present at the press conference on the occasion of the presentation of two new Ice Age statuettes, which had been discovered during excavations of the Hohle Fels Cave in the Swabian Jura Mountains in Germany. uni-tuebingen.de/en/universit...
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Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
www.abc.net.au/news/science...
abc.net.au
Grass 'skeletons' hint at 25,000-year-old Indigenous fire ritual in cave
Evidence of ancient burnt grasses unearthed in a Victorian cave suggest the old ancestors of the GunaiKurnai people used the cave for fire rituals during the Ice Age.
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Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 14/06/2026
nit.com.au/14-06-2026/2...
nit.com.au
A decades-old narrative: The confected outrage over Aboriginal Heritage costs
There is a familiar narrative in the way Aboriginal heritage is discussed in Western Australia.It's a decades-old plot concerning 'heritage rorts', 'price gouging'[1], and delay and inefficiency in se...
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Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
Dear all, I am happy to announce a free one-day IAS symposium on "Extractive industries and the protection and preservation of Indigenous heritage", to be held on 25 June 2026 at the University of Western Australia. 1/
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Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
www.abc.net.au/news/2026-06...
abc.net.au
AI videos spread 'wrong impression' of WA's north, tourism operators say
A wave of AI-generated videos posted to social media causes a stir among tour operators in WA's north. They say the content does not accurately portray the region and threatens the preservation of Ind...
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Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
theconversation.com/for-decades-...
theconversation.com
For decades, Australian institutions have displayed stolen human remains. But there’s a way forward
The Tasmanian government has apologised for body parts being collected and displayed without consent. This is not the first time this has happened in Australia.
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Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
theconversation.com/indigenous-a...
theconversation.com
Indigenous Australians were the world’s first astronomers. But their knowledge is now at risk
Aboriginal communities have observed the night sky for millennia. But they face a growing threat – light pollution.
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Reposted by Martin Porr
Ben Pitcher @benpitcher.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
This article on indigeneity in popular British nature writing is now officially out in the latest issue of @theoryculturesociety.org There is some great campaiging work being done by the likes of @righttoroam.bsky.social. Here I address the nativism that it has to contend with.
doi.org
Imagining ‘Our Ancestors’: Liberal Indigeneity and the Repudiation of Colonialism in Postimperial Britain - Ben Pitcher, 2026
This article examines imaginative connections to an indigenous ancestry in popular British nonfiction writing on nature, landscape, and environment. It coins th...
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Reposted by Martin Porr
Catherine Frieman @cjfrieman.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
Really pleased this collaboration with @carlyschuster.bsky.social is finally published! We lean on queer feminist theory to discuss kinship as a dynamic set of relations and map their flow around funerary rites - we see burials as cannily assembled, not simple mirrors of the living world
doi.org
Matters of Life and Death: Kin-work at Funerals | Cambridge Archaeological Journal | Cambridge Core
Matters of Life and Death: Kin-work at Funerals - Volume 36 Issue 2
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Reposted by Martin Porr
Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
Important issues. Link to original article: academic.oup.com/bioscience/a...
academic.oup.com
Crediting and citing Indigenous Knowledges within research
Abstract. Knowledge exchanges between Indigenous and scientific communities occur regularly, with researchers frequently seeking and benefiting from Indige
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Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
www.abc.net.au/news/2026-04...
abc.net.au
World-famous Horizontal Falls to allow more tourists, with cultural focus
Tourism operators, the state government and traditional owners strike an agreement about the future of tourism at the famed Horizontal Falls in WA's Kimberley.
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Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
theconversation.com/what-actuall...
theconversation.com
What actually is ‘civilisation’? The dark and loaded history behind Trump’s threat against Iran
The concept of ‘civilisation’ emerged in the 18th century – and it has been cursed from the very start.
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Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 10/04/2026
I am very happy to be able to let you all know that the volume "Alterity and Human Evolution: Deep-Time and Multispecies Perspectives on Difference and Variation" has now been officially published by @berghahnbooks.bsky.social! www.berghahnbooks.com/title/Abadia... /1
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Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
newlinesmag.com/argument/the...
newlinesmag.com
The Academic Justification for Male Supremacy
From Noam Chomsky to Larry Summers, elite intellectuals shared more than they want to admit with Jeffrey Epstein
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Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
Just coming back to this study and story from a few days ago... They have already produced a wide range of reactions... 🤔 www.science.org/content/arti...
science.org
Surprising partner preference found in matings between Neanderthals and modern humans
Male Neanderthals tended to pair up with female modern humans, but whether intercourse was consensual is unclear
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Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
theconversation.com/ai-has-power...
theconversation.com
AI has powerful uses for First Nations oral cultural knowledge. Here’s how
In oral cultures, knowledge must be collectively maintained. AI can help people engage in dialogue with their heritage.
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Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 25/01/2026
Our Open Access special issue on "An Ontological Turn for Archaeology?" in the EAZ journal is now complete and can be accessed via the link below! This is a small but precious collection of papers. Hope that you will find it useful and inspiring. www.eaz-journal.org/index.php/ea... /1
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Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 04/01/2026
www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
theguardian.com
‘It’s time for healing’: remains of Aboriginal ancestors traded as curiosities are on their way home to country
Returning the stolen bodies of Indigenous Australians is ‘the most important act of reconciliation’, but museums can’t keep pace with the rate of surrender
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Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 05/12/2025
www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
theguardian.com
‘Remarkable’ Mithaka cultural landscape featuring Australia’s oldest houses placed on national heritage list
Aboriginal site featuring ancient quarry sits on transcontinental trading route connecting Gulf of Carpentaria to Flinders Ranges
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Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 23/11/2025
Charles Darwin University is looking for a Lecturer in Indigenous Knowledges and Heritage, which will suit an anthropologist or archaeologist with a focus on Australia. Continuing Full Time, Teaching Focused, Level A/B A$76,604 – A$137,659 pa Details here: www.cdu.edu.au/careers-cdu
cdu.edu.au
Careers at CDU | Charles Darwin University
Discover career opportunities and find useful information about working at CDU.
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Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 21/11/2025
Just published in the EAZ in open access! Please have a look at this great new paper by @shumon.bsky.social on "Zoo-Ontologies: Materiality and Visuality in the Multispecies Tangle". This paper is now free to download via the EAZ website. www.eaz-journal.org/index.php/ea...
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Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 21/11/2025
Please have a look at this new collaborative research paper by Danae Fiore and colleagues on their important work with Indigenous communities in Karukinka/Usin (Tierra del Fuego). www.eaz-journal.org/index.php/ea...
eaz-journal.org
View of Fuegian Dialogues: Constructive Interactions between Indigenous Communities from Karukinka/Usin (Tierra del Fuego) and an Archaeological Team
EAZ, EAZ journal, Ethnographisch-Archaeologische Zeitschrift, Ethnographisch-Archäologische Zeitschrift, EAZ – Ethnographisch-Archaeologische Zeitschrift
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Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 15/11/2025
www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11...
abc.net.au
What France's famous cave replicas can teach Australia about rebuilding lost heritage
Five years after Rio Tinto destroyed a 47,000-year-old sacred rock shelter to expand an iron ore mine, an ambitious rebuild is underway drawing inspiration all the way from France.
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Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 14/11/2025
theconversation.com/who-speaks-f...
theconversation.com
Who speaks for the dead? Rethinking consent in ancient DNA research
Ethical guidelines for ancient DNA need to protect past, present and future generations.
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Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 14/11/2025
Coming in April 2026! This truly fabulous volume will be published early next year and putting this together was just a great journey. It allowed working together with many amazing scholars from different parts of the world and I profited so much from reading and engaging with all the chapters.
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Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 25/10/2025
www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10...
abc.net.au
Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa handback a symbol of land rights 40 years on
When you drive towards Uluṟu and see the stark, red monolith on the horizon, or stand at its base and look up at its striking, powerful enormity, time stands still.
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Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 23/10/2025
www.nationalgeographic.com/history/arti...
nationalgeographic.com
'Java Man,’ the first Homo erectus discovered, is finally going home
Excavated with colonial labor and shipped to the Netherlands, the famous fossil is being repatriated to Indonesia along with 28,000 other fossils.
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Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 22/10/2025
www.abc.net.au/news/science...
abc.net.au
Did humans kill Australia's ancient megafauna? Bone study prompts rethink
Palaeontologists say there is no hard evidence in the fossil record that extinct Australian megafauna were butchered by First Nations people.
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Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 20/10/2025
www.sapiens.org/archaeology/...
sapiens.org
It’s Time to Replace “Prehistory” With “Deep History”
Archaeologists in Southeast Asia are pushing toward a deeper understanding of history that amplifies Indigenous and local perspectives.
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Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 18/10/2025
www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10...
abc.net.au
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Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 18/10/2025
www.abc.net.au/news/deeptim...
abc.net.au
The epic story of Australia and its first peoples — like you've never seen it
The story of Australia and its peoples is vast and deep. It's one you should know, but possibly one you've never been told. Well, not like this anyway.
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Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 01/10/2025
I was invited to provide some comments on the fascinating story below, which discusses the earliest known examples of the use of blue pigment during the European Palaeolithic. Interesting results with some intriguing implications. www.science.org/content/arti...
science.org
Paleolithic painters had the blues
Two recent studies shine light on the earliest known artistic usages of blue pigment
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Reposted by Martin Porr
Dr Rebecca Wragg Sykes @lemoustier.bsky.social · 26/09/2025
🏺🧪🦣
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Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 24/09/2025
www.sapiens.org/archaeology/...
sapiens.org
In Human Origins Research, Communities Are the Missing Link
A paleoanthropologist reflects on relationships between researchers and communities living around sites relevant to human evolution.
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Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 05/09/2025
Please have a look at this new open access paper by Benjamin Alberti that was just published in the EAZ. This is part of a special issue on ontological approaches in archaeology with more great papers to follow! #archaeology www.eaz-journal.org/index.php/ea...
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Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 02/09/2025
theconversation.com/those-painti...
theconversation.com
‘Those paintings belong to us’: how an Indigenous-led project is harnessing technology to protect Kakadu’s rock art
This new project has strong potential to be scaled up and delivered in other land and cultural heritage management contexts.
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Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 02/09/2025
Great to have been able to conduct this survey at the WA Maritime Museum for the Deep Time Images project together with @lauramayer.bsky.social! Lots to analyze and lots of food for thought! #TheGreatKimberleyWilderness
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Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 25/08/2025
www.theguardian.com/culture/2025...
theguardian.com
My cultural awakening: an ancient statue made me fall in love with my fat body
I spent decades being ashamed of the way I look. Then a visit to the Natural History Museum changed everything
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Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 21/08/2025
www.heriuct.co.za/news-content...
heriuct.co.za
We need a feminist palaeoanthropology that finally listens to all of us — HERI - Human Evolution Research Institute
Palaeoanthropology asks profound questions: Who are we? What makes us human? Too often, answering these answers has been done by a privileged few. HERi Co-director Prof Rebecca Ackermann calls for tha...
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Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 14/08/2025
It is a great pleasure to announce that our new book on Palaeolithic art and what we can learn from it has just been published by Heidelberg University Publishing! The volume is OA and can be downloaded via the link below! @deeptimeheritage.bsky.social 🤩😎 heiup.uni-heidelberg.de/catalog/book...
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Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 13/08/2025
Here is the original letter/announcement from the White House, another step in the Trump's attack strategy on the museum, cultural, and research sectors www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-st...
whitehouse.gov
Letter to the Smithsonian: Internal Review of Smithsonian Exhibitions and Materials
The Honorable Lonnie G. Bunch III Secretary, Smithsonian Institution 1000 Jefferson Dr SW Washington, DC 20560 Subject: Internal Review of Smithsonian
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