Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 14htheconversation.com/why-indiana-...theconversation.comWhy Indiana Jones is the best and worst thing to happen to archaeologyThe idea of archaeology as adventure predates the discipline itself. 010
Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 12/10/2026theconversation.com/hunter-gathe...theconversation.comHunter-gatherer societies are often put on a pedestal as paragons of equality – but the reality is more complicatedHunter-gatherers do not always seek total equality, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t egalitarian. 020
Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 08/10/2026More 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.comColonisation, not climate change, first primed these forests to burnFor more than 800 years, frequent cultural burning kept this land as stable, open woodland. 1155
Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 06/10/2026I'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. 071
Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 29/09/2026www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...,theguardian.comFalse claims about Aboriginal rock art and aliens were once fringe. Researchers fear AI could push them mainstreamArcheologists warn AI summaries can repeat false claims about 12,000-year-old rock art from Western Australia’s Kimberley region being painted by aliens 010
Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 15/09/2026theconversation.com/more-than-2-...theconversation.comMore than 2 million Indigenous people lived in Australia in 1788: new researchGenetic, archaeological and environmental evidence suggest the Indigenous population fell by more than 90% In the 70 years after the British invaded. 030
Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 15/09/2026This 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.comPauline Hanson’s comments about Indigenous Australians condemned as ‘nasty’ and ‘derogatory’Indigenous senators have criticised One Nation leader, saying the comments showed ‘wilful ignorance’ 111
Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 07/08/2026Job advert for a senior professorship position in Palaeolithic Archaeology at the University of Tübingen, Germany! uni-tuebingen.de/en/universit...uni-tuebingen.deW3-Professorship in Early Prehistory 000
Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 31/07/2026On 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... 151
Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 22/07/2026www.abc.net.au/news/science...abc.net.auGrass 'skeletons' hint at 25,000-year-old Indigenous fire ritual in caveEvidence 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. 030
Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 14/06/2026nit.com.au/14-06-2026/2...nit.com.auA decades-old narrative: The confected outrage over Aboriginal Heritage costsThere 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... 043
Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 04/06/2026Dear 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/ 100
Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 02/06/2026www.abc.net.au/news/2026-06...abc.net.auAI videos spread 'wrong impression' of WA's north, tourism operators sayA 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... 000
Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 21/05/2026theconversation.com/for-decades-...theconversation.comFor decades, Australian institutions have displayed stolen human remains. But there’s a way forwardThe Tasmanian government has apologised for body parts being collected and displayed without consent. This is not the first time this has happened in Australia. 000
Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 21/05/2026theconversation.com/indigenous-a...theconversation.comIndigenous Australians were the world’s first astronomers. But their knowledge is now at riskAboriginal communities have observed the night sky for millennia. But they face a growing threat – light pollution. 010
Reposted by Martin PorrBen Pitcher @benpitcher.bsky.social · 20/04/2026This 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.orgImagining ‘Our Ancestors’: Liberal Indigeneity and the Repudiation of Colonialism in Postimperial Britain - Ben Pitcher, 2026This article examines imaginative connections to an indigenous ancestry in popular British nonfiction writing on nature, landscape, and environment. It coins th... 2199
Reposted by Martin PorrCatherine Frieman @cjfrieman.bsky.social · 14/04/2026Really 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 worlddoi.orgMatters of Life and Death: Kin-work at Funerals | Cambridge Archaeological Journal | Cambridge CoreMatters of Life and Death: Kin-work at Funerals - Volume 36 Issue 2 02712
Reposted by Martin PorrMargot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 14/04/2026Important issues. Link to original article: academic.oup.com/bioscience/a...academic.oup.comCrediting and citing Indigenous Knowledges within researchAbstract. Knowledge exchanges between Indigenous and scientific communities occur regularly, with researchers frequently seeking and benefiting from Indige 01810
Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 14/04/2026www.abc.net.au/news/2026-04...abc.net.auWorld-famous Horizontal Falls to allow more tourists, with cultural focusTourism operators, the state government and traditional owners strike an agreement about the future of tourism at the famed Horizontal Falls in WA's Kimberley. 000
Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 13/04/2026theconversation.com/what-actuall...theconversation.comWhat actually is ‘civilisation’? The dark and loaded history behind Trump’s threat against IranThe concept of ‘civilisation’ emerged in the 18th century – and it has been cursed from the very start. 000
Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 10/04/2026I 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 1188
Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 17/03/2026newlinesmag.com/argument/the...newlinesmag.comThe Academic Justification for Male SupremacyFrom Noam Chomsky to Larry Summers, elite intellectuals shared more than they want to admit with Jeffrey Epstein 023
Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 06/03/2026Just 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.orgSurprising partner preference found in matings between Neanderthals and modern humansMale Neanderthals tended to pair up with female modern humans, but whether intercourse was consensual is unclear 000
Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 05/03/2026theconversation.com/ai-has-power...theconversation.comAI has powerful uses for First Nations oral cultural knowledge. Here’s howIn oral cultures, knowledge must be collectively maintained. AI can help people engage in dialogue with their heritage. 111
Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 25/01/2026Our 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 1113
Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 04/01/2026www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...theguardian.com‘It’s time for healing’: remains of Aboriginal ancestors traded as curiosities are on their way home to countryReturning the stolen bodies of Indigenous Australians is ‘the most important act of reconciliation’, but museums can’t keep pace with the rate of surrender 092
Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 05/12/2025www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...theguardian.com‘Remarkable’ Mithaka cultural landscape featuring Australia’s oldest houses placed on national heritage listAboriginal site featuring ancient quarry sits on transcontinental trading route connecting Gulf of Carpentaria to Flinders Ranges 0133
Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 23/11/2025Charles 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-cducdu.edu.auCareers at CDU | Charles Darwin UniversityDiscover career opportunities and find useful information about working at CDU. 0139
Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 21/11/2025Just 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... 130
Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 21/11/2025Please 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.orgView of Fuegian Dialogues: Constructive Interactions between Indigenous Communities from Karukinka/Usin (Tierra del Fuego) and an Archaeological TeamEAZ, EAZ journal, Ethnographisch-Archaeologische Zeitschrift, Ethnographisch-Archäologische Zeitschrift, EAZ – Ethnographisch-Archaeologische Zeitschrift 1103
Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 15/11/2025www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11...abc.net.auWhat France's famous cave replicas can teach Australia about rebuilding lost heritageFive 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. 084
Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 14/11/2025theconversation.com/who-speaks-f...theconversation.comWho speaks for the dead? Rethinking consent in ancient DNA researchEthical guidelines for ancient DNA need to protect past, present and future generations. 0136
Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 14/11/2025Coming 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. 1152
Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 25/10/2025www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10...abc.net.auUluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa handback a symbol of land rights 40 years onWhen 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. 021
Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 23/10/2025www.nationalgeographic.com/history/arti...nationalgeographic.com'Java Man,’ the first Homo erectus discovered, is finally going homeExcavated with colonial labor and shipped to the Netherlands, the famous fossil is being repatriated to Indonesia along with 28,000 other fossils. 03012
Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 22/10/2025www.abc.net.au/news/science...abc.net.auDid humans kill Australia's ancient megafauna? Bone study prompts rethinkPalaeontologists say there is no hard evidence in the fossil record that extinct Australian megafauna were butchered by First Nations people. 081
Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 20/10/2025www.sapiens.org/archaeology/...sapiens.orgIt’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. 030
Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 18/10/2025www.abc.net.au/news/deeptim...abc.net.auThe epic story of Australia and its first peoples — like you've never seen itThe 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. 020
Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 01/10/2025I 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.orgPaleolithic painters had the bluesTwo recent studies shine light on the earliest known artistic usages of blue pigment 041
Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 24/09/2025www.sapiens.org/archaeology/...sapiens.orgIn Human Origins Research, Communities Are the Missing LinkA paleoanthropologist reflects on relationships between researchers and communities living around sites relevant to human evolution. 051
Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 05/09/2025Please 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... 2111
Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 02/09/2025theconversation.com/those-painti...theconversation.com‘Those paintings belong to us’: how an Indigenous-led project is harnessing technology to protect Kakadu’s rock artThis new project has strong potential to be scaled up and delivered in other land and cultural heritage management contexts. 010
Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 02/09/2025Great 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 010
Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 25/08/2025www.theguardian.com/culture/2025...theguardian.comMy cultural awakening: an ancient statue made me fall in love with my fat bodyI spent decades being ashamed of the way I look. Then a visit to the Natural History Museum changed everything 021
Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 21/08/2025www.heriuct.co.za/news-content...heriuct.co.zaWe need a feminist palaeoanthropology that finally listens to all of us — HERI - Human Evolution Research InstitutePalaeoanthropology 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... 031
Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 14/08/2025It 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... 38827
Martin Porr @martinporr.bsky.social · 13/08/2025Here 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.govLetter to the Smithsonian: Internal Review of Smithsonian Exhibitions and MaterialsThe Honorable Lonnie G. Bunch III Secretary, Smithsonian Institution 1000 Jefferson Dr SW Washington, DC 20560 Subject: Internal Review of Smithsonian 021